Common Ground: Act I
by Ursula Cousland
Summary: Two people who might not seem all that similar find they have more in common than they realized. Covers events in DA2: Act I. All characters are Bioware's. Also, many thanks to Arquen, my wonderful Beta reader. 3
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_The Waking Sea and Kirkwall_

_9:30 Dragon_

_You know, if I try really hard, I can almost convince myself I'm used to the stench in here. Or, I could just be deluding myself._

Aniya looked up from the resting spot that they had managed to carve out among the refugees in the overcrowded hold. Through the grate in the deck that provided the only ventilation, she could see that the sky had finally cleared. Rapidly moving clouds and the flapping of sails suggested decent winds. It was about time. Disease and heartbreak had claimed a few refugees in the early days, and the toll was slowly rising. The burials of the dead at sea had made more room, but the hold was still overcrowded, hot, and stuffy. Worst of all, it reeked of unwashed bodies, vomit, and other bodily functions. The atmosphere of desperation, which added its own tang, hadn't set in until the last couple of days, when two rumors began spreading in the hold. The first had been that at least two ships in the refugee fleet had been lost to the terrible spring storms that had rocked the ragtag fleet for the past three days, and the second was that they might be starting to run low on food.

Aniya and her charges were far better off than most. For one, Aveline, Hawke, and Sarge made an armed and threatening team that people tended to avoid if at all possible. At least, it kept people out of thieving distance. Additionally, Bethany's discretion and skill in healing had kept the four of them safe from the dysentery and other illnesses that struck with lethal speed once they took root. She hated not being able to help more refugees, but she also feared being seen, so she tried very hard to ignore the suffering around them as best she could.

_Still, the last of our coin bought this passage, and that's after we attempted to sell everything we didn't need. _She knew all of them kept something sentimental; a last memento of their now-abandoned lives. For her, it was a pair of extremely worn books that had been her father's; they were all she had left of him now, other than her memories. Aveline didn't let her late husband's shield out of her sight. Bethany had their father's staff and an armband that had belonged to him. As for their mother – well, none of them knew, and as long as she still had her pack and nothing got stolen, Aniya didn't ask.

_I don't know what we're going to do when we actually get there, assuming we do. I hope our uncle got Mother's letter…_

The stream of her thoughts was interrupted by an unmistakable shout from a deckhand; "Land Ho! Kirkwall right ahead!"

Aniya glanced around; it seemed like at least half of the refugees were already too defeated to care. She tapped Aveline on the shoulder, and muttered, "I'm going topside for a look. I'll be right back." She then tapped Sarge on the head gently. The Mabari woke, sat up, and wagged his tail. "Sarge, guard." The dog sat straight up then, all business.

When Aniya reached the deck, the sudden burst of fresh air shocked her. It was the best smell she could remember in a very long time. As she looked around at the high cliffs and let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight, one of the crew wandered by her. She watched him, and saw him pull a hand back from attempting to grab her ass. "I wouldn't," she murmured, her face friendly but her voice cold. "It's not worth getting gutted for." She accented the last words by tapping the pommel of the tiny dagger she'd produced against her bracer, then twirling it across her knuckles. The sailor backed off, both hands up, and muttered something about at least one of the 'refus' having some spirit left. She shook her head and moved away, though she kept an eye on him.

She squared her shoulders, put on her 'war face', and went back below decks to gather her family and their meager belongings.

The situation in the Kirkwall harbor and docks was worse than they'd anticipated. There were Fereldens everywhere, in groups and alone. Most of the ones who were already here wore various expressions of hopelessness, fear, and despair. A few of the refugees on their ship ran to relatives and embraced, but it didn't seem that anyone was actually being allowed _into_ the city. There were simply too few ships (and, at least on theirs, too few survivors), to account for all these people. Aveline spotted a guard that seemed vaguely in charge, and they approached him. He fairly well ignored them, until Hawke had asked to speak to the person in charge. Then, he'd rolled his eyes, muttered something about "that's the same story every time…" and pointed them through a dark passage that opened into the courtyard of this place. Aniya had heard someone call it the Gallows, and the name of this grim place made sense. There were statues of chained slaves everywhere, depicted in various stages of either despair or pleas for…mercy?

_Nice. Welcome to Kirkwall, now shut up, look down, and prepare to be broken if you aren't already._

Not _going to happen. _Aniya gritted her teeth. _I forgot – slaving's still rampant in the Marches, legal or not, and we 'refus' _have_ to be rich pickings for slavers. Glorious._

They proceeded to the guard captain, who was already arguing with what looked like a newly-formed group of Ferelden toughs trying to force or intimidate their way in. When Aniya managed to get a word in edgewise, and explain that they had noble connections, the captain had been dubious.

"The only Gamlen Amell I know is a weasel who couldn't rub two coppers together."

_I'm so glad Mother can't hear this._ They'd left her in the entry with Sarge guarding her.

The guard captain reluctantly agreed to look for Gamlen, but that had outraged the toughs; they had attacked the captain and Aniya and her friends indiscriminately. Fending them off bought some goodwill with the captain, who did agree to at least try to send Gamlen to them.

By the second morning, all of them were trying to ignore their growling stomachs with no success. There didn't seem to be very many food vendors around. Apparently there had been once, but their prices had been outrageous, and an angry mob of refugees had torn them apart. Once in a while, some food was brought to the gates of the gallows, but it was gone so fast that it might as well have not been there. Leandra seemed hardest-hit. When Aniya had diplomatically reported only that the guard was looking for her brother, she'd taken it hard. Even Aveline was obviously looking leaner; the warrior had been in fighting form before they sailed. Now, neither Aniya nor Aveline filled out their armor so that it fit correctly and actually stood a chance of _working_. Aniya paced restlessly, trying to get a chance at what food was being distributed, but with no luck. She couldn't _quite_ bring herself to steal it from those who did succeed, though; she saw most of it was fought over by desperate parents who were no better off than they were, to feed their children. Even Sarge was looking lean; there was no meat to be found anywhere, and apparently, the refugees had already disposed of the gulls, rats, and cats that could be found and reached. A few were even desperate enough to eye the mabari hungrily, but he was still threatening enough to give them pause.

_And it probably rankles any of them to consider eating our national symbol. _Aniya gagged at the thought and forced her thoughts elsewhere.

_I have to do _something_. We were already on short rations on the ship. And if my uncle can't be found we're in worse trouble. _She sighed and shook her head as her own stomach growled again. She wasn't proud of herself, but she began to carefully study the walls and grates around them.

_There has to be a way out of here that isn't all that heavily guarded. There just aren't enough guards around here to keep order _and_ watch everyone at once._

She spotted a likely area in a more isolated corner of the courtyard that might have some gaps she could use as handholds. She'd had a reputation for being part feline in her unit at one point, because she could scramble almost any vertical face if it had even a few small cracks for grip.

_Tonight, then._

She spent the rest of the day watching guard patrols and wrestling with hurt pride and guilt by turns. Her pride smarted because she was a well-trained Army sapper and assassin reduced to contemplating common street thievery. Then, she'd immediately (and guiltily) remind herself that if she didn't do it while _she_ was still healthy enough, her family and her protective friend risked starvation.

_I don't want to lose anyone else in this mess. Poor Carver was bad enough._

* * *

><p>Night had covered the Gallows courtyard and the nearest docks in soft shadows. There was no moon tonight, thank the Maker, and there was enough wind that the torches flickered and threw deceptive shadows all about.<p>

Aniya had removed all of her gear that had any brightness to it, so she was clothed only in her dark leathers. She also removed almost everything made of metal. She'd stolen a moth-eaten cloak from a refuse heap and shredded it to wrap the metal fastenings on her armor and the hilts of her blades – _can't exactly do without those._ She considered lampblack for her skin, as that was one thing that wasn't in short supply, but decided against it.

_If I get caught on the other side, that won't help me talk or fight my way out of it. And, it's not like the tattoos don't mark me anyway. Not that I'd change _that.

She waited patiently until the changing of the guard about an hour after sunset. Most of the refugees were so exhausted and weak from hunger that they weren't very feisty at that hour, and so the guards had gotten lax. _Perfect. _She made her way to the dark corner she'd marked earlier, and began her cautious climb. She worked quickly and quietly, and was quickly crouched on top of the wall. She lay flat in a nearby parapet's shadow to assess what she should do next. She spotted the shadowy wall of a likely building and scrambled up that next. To get her bearings, she sat next to a chimney near the peak of the roof's gable and watched for either guards or a market.

And then, very briefly, she was transfixed by the view.

_Interesting. From up here, Kirkwall could actually be considered _pretty_. _

The city was well-lit, especially the area known as Hightown. With a full moon's light on the surrounding sea, it might even be considered beautiful. Irritably,_ s_he took herself by the mental 'scruff' and shook off the reverie.

_Save it for some time when you're not starving and fairly desperate. You can't get distracted now, and all that pretty light will just make things harder. _She scanned the streets below.

_Ah. There we go._

She spotted what looked like a market area opening up just a couple of roofs over from where she was. It didn't look like much, but if there was anything worth scavenging, she'd find it. She padded quietly over, hopping the roofs as quietly as she could, and then carefully lowered herself onto an awning. From there, it was a quick, easy drop to the ground.

This area wasn't exactly prosperous, though it was certainly better off than the 'refugee pens' she was used to. She padded down the street, warily listening for guards as she went.

_Ooh._ All of a sudden, she could smell fresh bread. It smelled _wonderful_, and her stomach growled insistently in reaction. _And – Maker's breath, is that a chicken pasty?_ She stuffed a fist into her gut to quiet it, and carefully followed that heavenly scent. It was coming from a darkened window on the higher level of one of the crammed-together buildings.

_All right, then. This shouldn't be too bad._

She glanced around for guards again. Seeing none, she carefully started to scale the wall towards the closest window. Then, she heard approaching footsteps. She dropped reflexively off the wall and ducked behind a rain barrel to see what was going on. The small group of men that had rounded the corner certainly weren't guards. In fact, they looked like regular street toughs. They wandered up the steps to the house and banged on the door. Someone lit a lamp in the window next to the one where the smell was coming from, and the door soon opened. A hurried, quiet, and emphatic discussion about 'protection money' began.

_It's now or never._

Aniya took advantage of the distraction to scramble up the wall. She nearly abandoned caution other than to keep track of the voices in the conversation. The window into which she peeked now was obviously the cooking area for a baker who probably had a stall in the market she'd passed. There were several shelves of baked goods cooling on a large rack, probably for the next day's market.

_Oh _yes!

She hungrily seized one of them and tore off a bite, and nearly cursed out loud as she burned her fingers on hot filling.

_Idiot._

She unwound a small bag from her waist, dropped the offending pasty into it, and then swept the contents of one shelf into it as well. She peered quickly over the rack, added two good-sized loaves to her take, and tied the sack shut. As she dashed back to the window, she spied two apples on the counter; they joined the rest of the goods in her bag. She tied it around her waist, and then paused before easing back out the window. The conversation was still going on, and it was escalating. Other lamps were being lit in other windows, and it was probably only a matter of time before some guard noticed the growing disturbance. Shouts suddenly announced that yes, the city guard had finally noticed and was responding.

_Time to go!_

She dropped back into the shadows had hidden her before as two guardsmen ran by. Sounds of a melee ensued. Grinning to herself, Aniya slipped past them into an alley, climbed back up the walls, and retraced her route. A quick dash across the roofs and a little patience later, she'd quietly dropped back into the courtyard. She triumphantly edged over to the makeshift tent they'd constructed from discarded clothing and sail scraps. As she opened the flap, Sarge started to growl, but then broke off and _woofed_ happily. Aveline peered at her and sheathed her half-drawn blade.

"Where _have_ you been? Your mother and sister were worried sick." She stopped, and sniffed. "Is that…_bread?_"

"It is indeed."

Sarge's quiet woof woke Bethany, who sat sharply upright when she caught the scent of food. She shook Leandra gently. "Wake up, Mother!" she whispered urgently to Leandra. "I think Aniya may have solved the food problem for now!"

Happily, Aniya passed out the spoils, even ripping open one of the fatter pasties for Sarge, who didn't bother to wait for it to cool before bolting it down. He panted heavily after he ate; Aniya sympathized with his likely scalded tongue and tore open a second one for him. She let it cool a bit and emptied it out in front of him, and ate the empty shells herself. They ate quickly, hopefully before the scents could attract too much attention. Aniya had stolen quite a bit; they were all stuffed by the time it was gone. The only one whose food sat untouched was Aveline. She continued to peer, or almost glare, at Hawke.

"You can't tell me you aren't hungry, Aveline!" Bethany said quietly.

"I want to know how your sister got this bounty." Aveline was now openly glaring, though her stomach's growl took some of the force out of it.

"If you won't like the answer, don't ask the question," Aniya answered pointedly, returning Aveline's glare unrepentantly. "I'm sure we'll be able to eat your share if you don't want it."

Aveline started to say something, then her face turned an ugly red and she stormed out of the tent. Aniya sighed and followed.

"Aveline!" She hissed. "What are you about?"

"I won't encourage thievery, Hawke!"

"Oh, so you _like_ being hungry? You like your armor hanging off you and feeling dizzy, and being afraid we can't fight off the roving gangs of greasy men looking for an easy mark to share?" Aniya flared, grabbing the warrior's arm and forcing Aveline to face her. She was shocked to see Aveline's eyes filled with tears even though her anger was palpable.

"_NO!" _Aveline scrubbed her eyes angrily with a balled fist. "It's _wrong_, and I can't _believe_ we've been reduced to relying on a _thief_ to survive!" That last was a little too much for Aniya's frayed nerves, and she lost it.

"You think I _like_ stealing like a street rat?" she hissed. "You think I _want_ to be doing this? _How dare you! _I'm a soldier, a damn good one, and the whole idea of doing this _galls_ me. But I _do_ it so we _can _survive! If that's not good enough for your ideals, Aveline, feel free to _sod off_!" Aniya found she was trembling with rage, and it felt too _good_ to vent that rage on someone. Disgusted with herself, she bit off another acid comment, turned, and stalked back towards the tent.

Aveline hesitated, then jogged quickly after her and grabbed her arm. Still seething with anger, Aniya grabbed that hand, hyper extended Aveline's thumb until she grunted in pain, used her wrist as a lever, and forced the larger woman to her knees in an adrenaline-fueled submission hold.

"Hawke! Bloody_ flames!_ Let me go before I have to hurt you, idiot!" Aveline gasped, and Aniya paled and complied with a look of mute apology. The taller woman gasped in pain and rubbed her wrist and fingers, then turned to face Hawke. Her face was still red, but judging from her body language, it was from shame as much as anything. "I don't like this any more than you do. I just hope that guard finds your bloody uncle soon." Aveline hesitated, and then continued, "I'm sorry I insulted you."

"It's all right. It's part of your charm." Aniya shrugged and then winked wryly. "Let's go get some food into you before you get any grumpier."

Aveline hesitantly grinned back. "I hope that fool dog left something!"

"Well, if nothing else, he hates apples."

They both chuckled quietly as they returned to the tent. There was plenty for Aveline as well; Sarge was contentedly asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Kirkwall and the Free Marches_

_9:30-9:31 Dragon_

"A _year?"_ Leandra was outraged, and she stared at Gamlen as if he'd grown horns.

Aniya tuned out the argument between her mother and her uncle as she formed a response. A year was a small price to pay to get Leandra to safety, even if it wasn't what they'd bargained for. Bethany was upset as well, but Aniya strongly suspected that she, too, was more worried about what would happen to Leandra in the intervening year. Aveline looked embarrassed as the argument continued.

"Honestly, Mother, if this gets you into a home, off the streets, and away from here, what's a year?" Aniya said gently, finally getting a word in edgewise. She stepped forward and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder. "It's a price _I_ will gladly pay." Bethany nodded, but Aveline now looked anxious.

"And what about me? I won't allow debts to be incurred on my behalf!" Aveline's frustration was clear, and Aniya couldn't blame her. She'd have said the exact same thing.

"Then you'll come with us." Leandra said, staring pointedly at Gamlen, who rolled his eyes.

"Thank you…" That clearly didn't solve the issue with Aveline's pride. However, Aniya wasn't turning down the capable woman she'd come to trust as she and Bethany stepped into the unknown in the Marches.

"We'll go talk to Meeren and see what he expects," Aniya turned and regarded Bethany and Aveline, "unless one of you wants to investigate the smugglers…"

Aveline shook her head. "I'd rather not do _either_, but …smuggling? Really?"

Aniya glanced at Bethany, who nodded mute agreement.

"I understand. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Meeran assessed the three women who'd approached him. The leader, or at least, the apparent leader, matched Gamlen's description of his elder niece, who was evidently a former Ferelden army soldier. The only one of the three of them that concerned him much was the dark-haired one. And then he saw the staff, and the woman's body language made more sense.<p>

_Hmm. That may change things. She could be the most useful of the three of them._

"You must be Gamlen's nieces. And friend?" He raised an eyebrow at Aveline. "He talked up a storm about you."

"Nothing bad, I hope." The elder niece spoke up. Her body language was confident, and she certainly looked like she knew what to do with the twin daggers sheathed across her back. Her manner exuded confidence, and the tasteful, sweeping wing-like tattoos on her cheeks added to that aura.

_Good choice. I approve, _he thought.

"My name is Aniya Hawke. This is my sister Bethany, and our friend Aveline Vallen." Aniya inclined her head toward Meeran. "You must be Meeran."

They got to know each other briefly, and Meeran set them to a task of disposal for which his current men weren't suited. The women handled it with aplomb, and, more importantly, if the bastard had tried to bribe them, they hadn't accepted.

_He had the means, so he had to have tried to buy them off. Promising. _ Meeran was no fool; merc leaders who were didn't survive long in the Marches.

He escorted them back to the Red Iron headquarters, quizzing all three of them in detail on their qualifications once they got there and had some privacy to discuss them. He was overcome with glee when Aniya reviewed her army training with him.

_A combat veteran who's carried out officer snuffs, who knows sabotage, trapping, and poisons too? Those are one in one hundred if that, and good ones are rarer. Even if I have to contract out some of the poison-making, her knowledge itself is priceless. _If_ she's telling the truth, I'll make the money back on all three of them just on her in less than six months, I'll wager. _

Also, the sister was a _healer_! Decent healers who weren't crazed blood mages or worse were next to impossible to find near Kirkwall, so she was potentially even _more_ useful. He didn't _care _what the third woman did at this point, though her armor and the quality of her gear suggested she could pull her own weight just as well even if she had no uniquely outstanding skills as the other two did. The mabari was just a bonus.

He couldn't _believe_ his luck, and on reflection, he was more than willing to let Gamlen's cheating ways slide. If these three worked out, the profits from this would be well worth what he'd paid to get the mother into Kirkwall. Now she was Gamlen's problem.

* * *

><p>Seven months had passed. A large portion of unattached Red Iron mercs were camped not far from Starkhaven. Meeran decided against his better judgment to inform Aniya of their debt status. Aniya and her companions had never been anything but honest and thorough in their duties. That was rare enough in mercs, and Meeran was fortunate enough that he could pick and choose what jobs to take. That meant no slave running or abductions for slavers, and he suspected that was the only thing that might have put the three off.<p>

_All three of 'em are a little too idealistic for mercenaries, but they're helping to keep us from taking the shadier jobs. It's good for the reputation and gets us interested nobles._ Nobles usually meant incredible profits, whatever the job, if they could be persuaded to hire swords.

_And that's my problem, one I can deal with. _Life was good for the Red Iron at the moment.

Aniya cleared her throat outside the tent flap, and he called her in. "Have a seat." Meeran gestured toward the camp chair by his 'desk', a plank placed on two half-barrels. "So, Hawke, nice work on that water diversion. Not a job I normally would have taken, but with you around…" That job reeked of do-good work, but at least it was profitable. The noble who'd hired them _really_ wanted more usable farmland, and he just got it. The fees had been ridiculous and the supplies cheap, so everyone won.

Aniya grinned roguishly. "The only one you really risked was me, and you figured as long as I didn't get myself blown to bits, Beth could put me back together again."

Meeran laughed. The eldest Hawke was the realist of the three, even if _she_ was still too idealistic.

When Meeran cleared his throat and looked vaguely serious, Aniya sat up straight. "That's a serious look for you, Sir. I take it this isn't just a briefing about the next job?"

Meeran shook his head. He gestured toward the small collection of drink he'd collected, but Aniya shook her head and took a quick drink from her waterskin.

_Another good point to them; _they_ know there's a time and place for debauchery, unlike some of the idiots I find and have to get rid of._

"You've always played straight with me, Hawke, and even though we don't always see eye to eye, I figure I owe you some honesty in return." He continued bluntly; might as well get to the point. "The debt for the three of you is officially repaid as of today, when I collected the fees for that last job."

Aniya looked shocked. He'd been paying the three of them, so they could maintain their gear, but she figured that was going toward their debts as well. Still…it had only been seven months. _Andraste's flaming sword, what's he charging?_

"Sir?"

"Stop it, Hawke. To you, I'm Meeran, at least in here. I know your agreement is for a year, so that's why I mention it. Since your debt is paid, I can pay all of you full shares like the rest, if you'll stay for the remainder of the year. Your army days and her abilities make you both _very_ profitable, and your friend does a good job of pulling her own weight. Don't let _that_ go to your heads, by the way." He peered at her.

Hawke couldn't keep the shock off of her face as she worked through the figures. He'd just offered them enough money to send a bit back to Leandra and have a little more to spend on upgrading their own gear. It wasn't a fortune, but it was far better than most Ferelden refugees had! And to boot, Meeran was a professional. He didn't care what went on during off-job time, but any harassment or unwanted attentions were dealt with because they endangered missions and threatened discipline. He also looked the other way if situations were resolved without his involvement and any resulting bodies were well hidden. This was good, considering Aniya had made examples of two of the more persistent men in duels. She hadn't had to _kill_ anyone, but she had forced those two into early retirement from their merc careers. After that, others tended to get the message, so the three women were largely unbothered here.

They'd be fools to turn this down, and she knew she could persuade Aveline and Bethany to see it.

"We can do that, Meeran. We agreed to a year, after all."

Meeran smiled ruthlessly. "I'm glad to hear that." He shook Aniya's offered hand. "I have a new job that I need all three of you for. You'll like this one. One of the lords outside Starkhaven's gotten tired of slavers preying on his workers and is paying a nice, fat dead-or-alive on them. It's cheaper than bringing in new hands."

Aniya grinned ferally. She had seen all too frequently how easily slavers preyed on those who had no way to defend themselves, mostly Fereldens and elves, so shedding slaver blood didn't disturb her sleep one bit.

The rest of the year passed without significant incident, which was a good thing for three refugees trying to establish new lives.

* * *

><p><em>Kirkwall. City of Chains. What an irony that circumstances bring me <em>here_, of all places._

It was dusk, and the setting sun was throwing long shadows toward the walls surrounding Kirkwall. A figure clothed in dark leathers and steely armor made his way toward the main city gate, trying to blend in with members of the trade caravan he was being paid to guard. Apparently, the merc company they usually used had been short-handed, so this caravan had hired a few freelance guards as well. He'd seen the hired mercs; they wore the insignia of the Red Iron. He hadn't spent much time near them. Company mercs tended to keep to themselves, and he didn't want to risk his appearance becoming too familiar to anyone who might be staying in Kirkwall just yet.

_Of course, anyone who gets a good look at me would likely be able to mark me to those who asked the right questions. _The shock of white hair on a younger elf that was unusually tall and muscular was already conspicuous enough. The sinuous, silvery marks on the patches of skin left bare by his armor were the dead giveaway. For that reason, he was doing the best he could to cover them, but whatever he did, they would still show at least to some extent.

He followed a knot of four Red Irons into the city, catching snippets of their conversation. As long as no one around seemed to be discussing _him_, he was content to eavesdrop and observe. The Red Iron mercs were well-equipped, and if these four were any indication, they were reasonably successful. One of them was a red-haired woman who wore a battered Templar's shield across her back along with a longsword and armor that was in reasonably good repair. The second had a mop of dark curls, and wore a belt knife, mixed bits of armor, and … a walking stick that looked like something had been removed from one end. He frowned, feeling habitual suspicion take root.

That_ one is a mage._ Merc mages weren't common, but they did exist outside Tevinter. He slowed slightly to give her a wider berth.

The third wore paired dueling blades and flexible leather armor. She wore no shield, and her armor was a collection of darker-colored materials that would blend well in shadows. While the first woman walked with strength and one type of grace, the movements of this one were much smoother and suggested speed and flexibility rather than brawn. Her auburn hair was bound into a twist on the back of her head.

The man with them was better-equipped than the three woman and walked with authority. He was talking to the three women about terms of their pay, so he was apparently their captain.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? I'd happily take all three of you on for long-term. Don't let that go to your heads, though, girls." All four stopped, and their follower carefully skirted them.

"No thanks, Meeran. We appreciate what you did for us, but it's time to try to get on with our lives, and our mother needs us here." The leather-clad woman, who appeared to speak for the others, laughed. "We appreciate the offer, though!"

"You know the money's going to dry up. No one will hire Fereldens here." The man named Meeran turned to address the three. "If you get tired of being bored, poor, and hungry, come see me." The group broke up, and the man turned to make his way back to the caravan.

_Fereldens. What was it about Ferelden? Ah yes, last I heard, there were rumors of a Blight there. Yet another gift the Magisters 'gave' the world._ He couldn't quite stop his lip from curling or his eyes from rolling a bit at that thought.

It was logical, then, that some Fereldens would have fled north across the Waking Sea. At least, if many of them were in Kirkwall, he might be able to blend in briefly due to their sheer numbers. He doubted he'd find much to draw him to the Alienage here. If it was like everywhere else he'd been outside the Imperium, elves who tended to congregate in Alienages and quietly accept their fate were a pathetic lot, and he had no time for them.

_It's time to go find somewhere to be inconspicuous until the hunters catch up with me again, and maybe steal some more coin so I can hire more blades if the need arises. Hopefully it will be a while this time._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Lowtown_

_9:31 Dragon_

The market section of Lowtown was quiet, but that was almost always the case at false dawn. It was too late for most of the thugs and too early for the shopkeepers. Aveline liked these patrols, even if she felt a little guilty because it involved fewer cleanups than later ones.

Aveline paused in front of the armor stand and took out her canteen for a sip of water. That was when she heard the terrified scream echo faintly from…

_It can't be. That sounds like it's coming from Hawke's street._

Aveline dropped her canteen in her haste. As she hastened down the alleyways, she heard the sound of metal on metal, as a quick and intense melee seemed to break out.

_I just hope I'm not too late!_

The sounds faded as she rounded the corner and ran the last short few yards. As she slid to a stop and was able to see the small square, she was astounded to see several fallen bodies lying in various states of lethal injury or dismemberment. Their blood had barely begun to sink into the sand-and-dust-covered street. She then saw Aniya, dressed only in what seemed to be her nightclothes, kneeling to speak to a small cluster of women who were huddled in Gamlen's stairway. Hawke was barefoot too, and had dropped her knives to the ground because she apparently hadn't had time to grab the sheaths. As Aveline ran up, the door to Gamlen's house swung open. Sarge burst through the door, snarling, then rushed to his mistress's side. Next, Bethany and Leandra bustled out. It seemed that Bethany and Leandra had actually paused to throw on more clothes first.

"All right, Hawke," Aveline panted, "What's going on?"

At her shout, the two women Aniya was attempting to examine huddled in fear, undoing any effort at calming them. Aniya turned to Aveline with her eyes still bright from battle.

"I'm doing the damn Guard's job for them, Aveline. Those_ bastards_," Aniya gestured with her chin, "are slavers, and I think they had just finished raiding our neighbors' homes. I've been hearing about them for days, but hadn't caught them red-handed until just now. If a couple of these ladies hadn't screamed, I might have missed them again."

Aveline glanced around at the bodies. She had remembered seeing a patrol report about a new group of slavers operating in Lowtown and Darktown and preying on elves and humans alike. Unfortunately, the descriptions had been vague. These men, though, were wearing the right colors, and all of them had shackles, gags, and other equipment on them that seemed to verify Hawke's story. However…

"Hawke, you can't just take the law into your own hands…"

Aniya had been trying to calm the women, but by that time, Bethany and Leandra were able to assist, so she left that task to them and stood to face Aveline. Bethany threw a blanket over Aniya's shoulders, but Aniya hadn't fully calmed back down. She still paced restlessly and looked very ready to fight.

"So what am I _supposed_ to do? Wait for the Guard, when we all know there just aren't enough Guards to begin with? Do I let more of our people or the elves get taken and sold into slavery because I have to cower in my house and wait for the right people to handle it? That's wrong, too, Aveline. I have the good fortune to be able to prevent this. Why shouldn't I, if the Guard isn't able to? I _won_'t sit by idly and let these …_scum…_prey on our people or anyone else if I can help it. And don't tell me you don't think the elves aren't entitled to protection they aren't getting. I know you don't feel that way either."

"Hawke…"

"I will warn you, Aveline, the perception on the street is that most of the Guard doesn't care if a few Fereldens or elves disappear every night. _I know that's not you_," Aniya acknowledged Aveline's angry glare, "but you are just one Guardswoman. As hard as you might try, that isn't enough to make anyone down here trust the guard to do anything to help them."

One of the women suddenly recovered some courage and stood up.

"She's right, ma'am. An' I'm glad she did something, otherwise we might be getting dragged to the docks to be…" The woman's voice faded and she shuddered in fear. "No one does anything when this happens, so we're dam' lucky, if I say so, serah Guardswoman."

As Aveline listened to the former captive's story, she looked over the half-dozen potential slaves. At least two of the captives were elves. The rest were Fereldens, but they all looked gaunt and hungry.

Aveline sighed.

"Are all of you willing to give statements on what happened here, so hopefully your vigilante rescuer isn't charged with anything?" All of them nodded, though some were too scared or too shocked to look at Aveline when they did so.

Aniya took a breath to snap at Aveline, but Aveline waved her off.

"Hawke, be quiet. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but if you really want to change things, join the bloody Guard yourself. I may not be able to protect you if you keep doing this."

"Save it, Aveline. We need to get these women back to their families and let them know their loved ones are safe. Once that's done, we can resume this lecture. You know as well as I do, though, that if anything I'll get a bounty for this." Aniya gave her an irritated look. "Thank the Maker that some people in Kirkwall still remember that slavery is illegal in the Free Marches and aren't on the slavers' payrolls."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**1

_Kirkwall: The Merchant's Guild, Lowtown, and the Alienage_

_9:31 Dragon_

"_That was the year I first met the Champion." – Varric Tethras' testimony to Seeker Pentaghast_

"Well. Life around here gets stranger and stranger," Aniya commented to Bethany as they watched their smooth-talking, well-dressed new 'friend' head towards one of the many gates to Lowtown. She pocketed her rescued coin purse, feeling a little ashamed the smash-and-grab had worked so well against her. Most of their remaining coin from the two months they'd been back home was in there and losing it would have been a nasty blow.

Bethany frowned. "Do you really think he – Varric? - has the resources to find us any work? That's a _lot_ of coin. It's more than we've seen in a long time, maybe ever."

Aniya rolled her eyes. "It's probably a surer bet than relying on Gamlen, though I will see if I can get a note to Meeran too. I'll see if he has anything local we might take. He _did_ offer to keep tabs on that for us. Come on." She tapped Bethany's arm lightly. "Let's go to the Hanged Man and see if that 'information network' of Varric's is any good."

"Let's…wait!" Bethany jogged to catch up as Aniya got a lead on her. "Let's talk to Aveline too. She's with the guard and complained that they are very short-handed."

Aniya snorted derisively. "I've been _telling_ her that for weeks. It's about time she actually listened." Her voice was distant, however. She was clearly thinking of other topics. "Let's go see her in the morning."

Bethany tried not to roll her eyes. This level of distraction, along with Aniya's use of her most charming grin, was roughly equivalent to her saying, "What could _possibly_ go wrong?" or "Hey! Watch this!" That look, like those phrases, almost inevitably wound up with someone in need of healing.

Anso had a reputation for finding decent hired blades on short notice, and Fenris didn't have much notice to give. The rumors he'd overheard regarding a certain location in the Alienage seemed far too convenient to just randomly be uttered where he could hear them. He knew this was a trap, but if it was anything like the last, his hunters would bring still more men. They were getting smarter, at least; they were starting to come for him in numbers he couldn't take alone.

Anso cleared his throat and peered at the elf.

"I've got bad news, more bad news, and some possibly good news. What do you want first?"

"The bad. Both of them." There was no surprise in this odd elf's voice, just a note of cynicism and some anxiety he was trying to hide.

"You can't afford the Red Iron, and they're too busy to take on more work right now anyway. You took too long raising the coin." The elf ignored the barb.

"And the good?" One dark eyebrow rose until it was partially obscured by the elf's stark white hair.

"Meeran gave me the name of a merc who paid back a significant debt to the Red Iron recently. Her name's Hawke, and she went freelance with a few friends. I hear they are pretty desperate for work. There's one complication – she's a Ferelden refugee. If you don't mind hiring _those_, I can probably get her to take your job."

_He says that just like most people refer to dealing with elves as being beneath them,_ Fenris thought to himself. Most of the Ferelden refugees were almost as beaten down as the city's elves, which meant he didn't pay most of them any mind either. Many had lost everything coming to Kirkwall, and many of the ones with any resilience left were getting aggressive and desperate. Lowtown and Darktown were getting very dangerous due to both Ferelden gangs and groups of independent slavers looking for easy prey. The city guard was not able to contain all the mischief. There simply were too few of them to handle all of it, and it was possible the guard captain was on the take as well.

_Throw that into my usual problem of trying to dodge Danarius' hunters and I could have a serious mess to deal with, instead of the ordinary one I have now. _He thought he was getting better at suppressing the eye roll, but he was incorrect in this case.

"Anso, if they're competent, I don't care who or what they are." Fenris paced restlessly.

_They will do even if they can just die slowly so I have time to elude this trap and get out, _he added to himself.

Anso nodded. "Meeran says that if I can get her to take this job, as hired blades go, she doesn't expect nearly what she's worth in payment. He doesn't say that about every former Red Iron he talks about, but he did say that she is picky about what jobs she'll take. I think, though, that she'll take yours." Anso paused, but got no reaction from Fenris. He continued, "I'll get him to send her to meet with me. I send him business all the time anyway, and he owes me a favor or two. I'll tell him to send them…when?"

"Two nights from now."

"That's tight, but I can do it." Anso offered a handshake, but the elf refused the gesture. Instead, he inclined his head politely. Once the elf left, Anso poured himself a quick shot of whiskey, and mused over his odd client as he prepared to contact Meeran.

Meeran tapped on the door where, supposedly, the Hawke girls still lived. Gamlen Amell's weasel-like face poked around the edge of the door and he regarded the Captain of the Red Iron suspiciously.

"What do you want, Meeran?"

"I'll – " Meeran's comment was interrupted by another voice and the door's opening to reveal an older woman whose family resemblance to the younger Hawke was clear.

Meeran inclined his head to Leandra.

"I've got a note for those daughters of yours. It looks like they could use some good-paying work." Meeran glanced with malicious glee at Gamlen and his hovel.

"I'll take that for you, serah, and thank you again for helping us." Leandra reached out and took the letter, gave Gamlen a bland look, and went back inside.

Gamlen muttered a curse and closed the door, as Meeran walked away chuckling.

"That _might_ have been for me, Leandra."

"I've seen you trying to read the girls' letters once already, Brother. Let them have some privacy!"

As she said that, Leandra tucked the note in her pocket and sat down by the fire. Sarge sat down with her and put his huge head on her knee. Then, he gave her the big brown puppy eyes. Leandra laughed and scratched him behind the ears. The mabari sighed in bliss.

"Keep that up and you won't have any credibility as a war dog." Leandra teased gently.

That was too much for Gamlen. He grabbed a cape and left, muttering, "…bloody mutt…"

Not half a candlemark later, Aniya and Bethany opened the door, shaking drizzle off their own capes.

"Hello, Mother. We brought back enough food for…where's Uncle Gamlen?"

"Who knows." Leandra rolled her eyes. "Meeran left this for you both, by the way. Gamlen tried to get it, but I kept his nose out of your business for you." She fished the letter out of her pocket and handed it to Aniya.

"Thank you, Mother." Aniya took the letter and broke the red wax seal. She smiled as she read it.

"See, Bethany! I didn't even have to write to Meeran. Look!" She handed the letter to her younger sister.

Bethany read it, and shook her head.

"I can't go tonight, Aniya. I'm going to go help at Lirene's shop, and they really need it." The lot of most Ferelden refugees hadn't changed. Bethany took out some of her anxiety about the Templars on mending donated clothes, feeding refugees, and whatever else she could manage in what was a hub for Fereldens in need in Kirkwall.

Everything, that is, that didn't involve magic. While Bethany had heard a rumor about a new healer who'd come in more recently, she wasn't willing to take that step.

"That's all right, Beth. Aveline's not on assigned patrol tonight, and she doesn't need us for that errand of hers till next week. I bet I can get Varric to go, and Sarge would love to get out so he doesn't have to listen to our dear Uncle's grousing." The mabari raised his head, barked once, and then settled back to his nap.

"Varric? Who's Varric?" Leandra frowned at the sisters, who looked at each other. Bethany explained the gist of the expedition while Aniya jogged back out to make arrangements to meet with Meeran's contact.

Aniya dispatched the last of the Sharps thugs and stepped back. She stopped to clean her blades on the thug's pants leg.

"Really, Aveline? How short-manned _are_ the guards these days?"

The look Aveline gave her was dark. "Too short, and…well, you know what I suspect." She gave Varric a sidelong glance. She'd vouched for the accuracy of the information Varric had fed her so far, which made her a little suspicious of the dwarf.

Aniya nodded grimly. _The problem is proving it, Aveline. Unfortunately, good luck with that unless something changes or someone gets careless._

Sarge stood up and barked at a figure that appeared to be trying to haul some goods and had dropped them. It was a dark-haired dwarf, wearing the same clothing Meeran had described.

"Come on, that's our guy." Aniya gestured towards the dwarf, who seemed to not notice them. He was clearly new to this, as they managed to startle him with no efforts at stealth or subterfuge. It was pretty clear from Varric's teasing of this dwarf that _he_ didn't recognize him either. His job was standard goods recovery. Aniya agreed to the job once she verified the goods were just that and not humans or elves, but Aveline groused angrily as they departed for the Alienage.

"Sure, Hawke, just add it to the list of things I'm accessory to…"

_Let it go, Aveline. _Aniya took point, and took the opportunity to roll her eyes out of Aveline's sight.

"At least we may get to clean up more Sharps on the way. That's good, isn't it?"

Aveline reluctantly nodded. It turned out Aniya was correct; they got attacked by a large group of Sharps, including a few archers, just short of the Alienage.

Fenris settled into his hiding place just outside the Alienage. He had observed a few men who could be Danarius' hirelings making their way through Lowtown. He followed them at a distance until they entered the building. He noticed that two of them were carrying a small chest; it was certainly large enough to hold what he sought, but he didn't want to assume the lead he got was anything but a ruse.

The men and women were certainly heavily enough armored and armed that any thugs with half a brain wouldn't trifle with them. The old warehouse was more than large enough to hold a significant number of hunters. He was curious just _how_ many, but he couldn't risk revealing himself to look around at this point. He decided to wait until he saw what happened to his hired support when they showed up.

He didn't have to wait long, and he wasn't disappointed. He saw a small party consisting of two humans, probably women, a dwarf, and a mabari approaching the Alienage. Something stirred in his memory as he observed it, but he calmly put it back out of his mind. He observed them as they passed within about fifteen feet of his hiding place.

Suddenly, the leader's head snapped around to look behind them. Apparently she'd heard something. As she turned, a group of street thugs dashed out of two alleyways on either side and surrounded them. Without hesitation, the outnumbered party counterattacked. They worked well together; all of them clearly knew what they were doing.

He noticed that the leader and the mabari worked together particularly well, as if they had been fighting as a team for some time. The mabari would drive targets into easy range of his partner, and blows from the leader that he'd sworn would have hit the mabari missed him to dispatch their shared prey. The dog vaulted past his mistress to take down a thug that tried to restrain her from behind. The man shouted as he went down and then abruptly gurgled as the mabari bit into his throat. The woman was extremely efficient with the paired steel blades she used. The pattern of her attacks was almost a dance. He'd seen a lot of similar close battles like this, and this particular woman was better than most that he'd seen who used that particular fighting style.

_Impressive. She must be the one Anso specifically mentioned. Hawke, I think._

The other woman guarded the dwarf, giving him room to work with the strangest crossbow Fenris had ever seen. How he was using that thing at all without hitting his companions was nothing short of surprising.

The street gang was hopelessly outmatched, and several of them fled in various states of panic. The warrior, who was wearing what looked like mostly city-guard issue gear, started to chase them. She stopped, however, at a sharp word from the leader, who shook her head and then gestured with her chin towards the Alienage. The dwarf checked his range, then shrugged and collapsed his crossbow. Fenris overheard the leader quietly tell the apparently off-duty guardswoman that they'd be back later for clean-up. At a silent gesture from his mistress, the mabari shook himself and followed. Their hidden observer watched them disappear around the corner.

_That is promising. This may just go better than I expected. We shall see. If it does, I can always steal more coin._

As soon as they left, Fenris heard the faint jingle of armor.

_There they are, right on time._

About a dozen heavily armed men and at least one mage in a Tevinter-style robe followed the party, stopping at the edge of the Alienage at a silent gesture from the officer leading them. Then, they moved around the corner as well.

_The counter trap is set and baited. Now it's time to go see what else I'm up against. At least I know where they've gone to ground. _

He checked the streets and then left the shadows to approach the warehouse where the hunters had been hiding.

"You're right, Hawke. The guard really should patrol down here more. I wish we had the people." Aveline shook her head, and then pointed at an abandoned house.

"Is this it?"

Aniya nodded.

Aveline tried the door and shrugged. Aniya casually took a pin out of her hair, unlocked the door, and tucked the pin back where it belonged. She glanced at Aveline and Varric, and then opened the door.

They walked right into an ambush, as Aniya half-expected. Their opponents had different clothing on than most Sharps did, and appeared a bit more skilled. That wasn't enough to stop the three of them and Sarge, but it did occupy them for a few minutes. Once the ambushers had been dealt with, and their poorly laid explosive traps disabled, Aniya located the crate that was supposed to have Anso's belongings in it. She picked the lock and opened it…

…to find it was empty.

Aveline scowled, and Varric grumbled about the bloody waste of time. Aniya sighed, and they started to leave to report back to Anso.

As they walked outside, they stopped short. The doorway was surrounded by at least a dozen armored people. Their armor was matched and they looked almost like an organized guard troop or band of mercenaries. One of them gestured at Aniya and the others.

"That's not the elf! Who is that?"

_The elf? _Aniya barely had time to process that thought.

"Doesn't matter," one of them answered. "Our orders are to kill anyone who enters the house!"

They rushed Aniya's party, clearly trying to overwhelm them. It backfired, although it did take Aniya, Aveline, Sarge, and Varric several moments to turn the tide. In addition, more armed reinforcements rushed in at least once, and one group had a mage. Varric ended up dealing with him by shooting at the shimmering shield around him until it fell, then activating the repeating action and destroying him. Finally, all of their opponents lay dead.

"Well…that was odd. I wonder where they're from." Aniya commented as she caught her breath.

"I'd almost swear this is Tevinter armor. You don't see it often here because they don't come to Kirkwall much, but the robe on that mage was a dead giveaway." Varric answered.

Aniya's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"They mentioned an elf…I wonder what that was about?" Aveline observed.

"I guess we'll just have to ask Anso when I find out why he set us up." Aniya grumbled. "Complete waste of time. At least hopefully he'll still pay for it…"

They made their way to the entrance of the Alienage, when another armored figure, apparently an officer, stepped out to challenge them.

"I don't know who you think you are, _friend_, but you've made a serious mistake coming here." The man glared at them with hostility, then issued a command.

"Lieutenant! I want everyone in the clearing. _Now!"_

"Captain…" The 'captain' and the three companions all stared back toward a staggering, bleeding man, who fell to the ground as he bled out before he could take three more steps. As Aniya processed that event, another male voice joined the confrontation. It was deep, intense, and carried an underlying anger despite the current calmness of his tone. He also had a slight accent, one that Aniya couldn't place. The voice's owner, a tall, lanky, well-muscled elf, stepped from around the corner as he spoke.

"Your men are dead, and your trap has failed. You should run back to your master while you still can."

If this was _'the_ elf' their attackers had mentioned, he was the most unusual elf Aniya had ever seen. His appearance certainly commanded attention. He was taller than most elves she'd met, and far more lean and well-muscled. He wore armor that was made of some strange black hide, with reinforcing plates at the chest, steel bracers at his wrists, and articulated steel gauntlets covering his hands. A large, two-handed sword was sheathed at his back. It was nearly as tall as he was; most elves wouldn't have been able to carry that blade, let alone use it with any effectiveness. His hair was starkly white, though his eyebrows were dark. His eyes were, as best she could make out in the Alienage's light, a shade of green. Along his chin, neck, and the patches of skin that weren't covered by his armor, she could make out sinuous, silvery lines that seemed tattooed, or almost _branded_, into his skin.

The idea of those markings being branded onto any flesh made Aniya want to wince, but she suppressed the impulse. Maker knew her own tattoos had hurt badly enough going on, and they were far less extensive.

The elf stepped past the 'captain' as if he wasn't there, and looked at them appraisingly. Aniya met his gaze squarely; it was all she could do to keep from staring at him.

The 'Captain' was apparently rather dense, because he persisted as if he still had a unit of troops backing him up.

"You're going nowhere, _slave…" _The Captain grabbed the new arrival by his left shoulder. As he did so, silvery-blue light flared along the markings on the elf's skin. He narrowed his eyes at the man, and raised his hand, which was glowing eerily and being surrounded by a misty blue haze. Without warning or hesitation, he proceeded to put his raised hand _through_ the man's chest. The Captain made an odd, strangling noise, and his eyes went wide with horror. There was a sharp, wet _snap_, and the elf withdrew his hand. The gauntlet was covered with blood, and the Captain gurgled and fell lifelessly at his feet. As the elf turned to face Aniya, Aveline, and Varric, the glow from his markings faded and he began to speak again. His voice was an angry declaration.

"I am _not_ a slave!"

He stepped forward and addressed Aniya and the others. His voice was calm, and quite formal.

"I apologize. When I asked Anso to provide a distraction for the hunters, I had no idea they would be so numerous." The elf walked past Aniya and surveyed the area as if looking for more assailants.

Aniya shrugged. "It wasn't anything we couldn't handle."

The elf nodded as he turned to face her. "I can see that. My name is Fenris. Those men were Imperial bounty hunters, seeking to recover a Magister's lost property, namely myself. They were trying to lure me into the open. As crude as their methods were, I could not face them alone. Thankfully, Anso chose well."

"My name is Aniya Hawke; you can just call me Hawke. This is Aveline, and the dwarf is Varric. The mabari is Sarge. And just so you know, if they were slavers, I'm glad we helped." Aniya gestured with her head toward the bodies.

Fenris looked surprised at that.

"I've met few in my travels who sought anything but personal gain."

"They have been plaguing Kirkwall for months, even years. They prey on elves and Fereldens alike, and they're a bloody menace. I stand by what I said; if someone doesn't take a stand it will never end." Aniya drew herself up a little taller.

"If I may ask, what was in the chest?"

Aniya shook her head and frowned. "It was empty."

Fenris sighed and looked down again.

"I suppose it was too much to hope for. Even so, I had to know. "

Aniya raised an eyebrow. "You could have simply asked, by the way. You didn't need to lie to get my help."

"That remains to be seen." His voice was dubious, but given what he'd told her, Aniya couldn't exactly blame him. The elf covered the following silence by kneeling to rummage through the Captain's pack. When he finished, he stood, with fire returning to his green eyes.

"It's as I suspected. My former master came with them to the city. He may be in a mansion nearby. I know you have questions, but we must move quickly if we are to confront him before he escapes."

Aniya nodded, and Fenris was encouraged by the somewhat feral look on her face.

"Count me in, especially if it means killing more slavers."

_Anso chose _very_ wisely, it seems. I did not expect this._ Fenris felt inclined to trust this woman, but then he tried not to place too much importance on that right now.

"I swear I will find a way to repay you for this. Let us go, then." Fenris gestured with his chin towards Hightown.

They made excellent time, and they were quickly in the entry to the mansion to which Fenris had led them. It was a tremendous mess, with detritus everywhere. They met no opposition at first.

"Danarius! You cannot hide from us!" He shouted as he rushed ahead of them. He had barely gotten any speed when his rush was abruptly checked.

"Whoa. _Whoa! _Watch it!" Hawke spoke up sharply, and suddenly, a hand seized his elbow and pulled back hard enough to stop him and make him stagger backward. Fenris turned on the hand's owner, which also turned out to be Hawke. His markings flared and he jerked his arm free. Rage flooded him; it was all he could do to not _hurt_ her for what she just did.

"_Don't _ever_ do that to me again,"_ he snarled at her. The Guardswoman and the dwarf stood in startled silence, but Aniya met his outburst with the coolness of an evening sea breeze.

"Suit yourself," she said calmly, "but I probably just saved your life. Look at this." She stepped forward, picked up a mostly-empty grain sack and tossed it toward the doorway. A plate he wouldn't have seen sank, and several darts shot out of the wall. Fenris blinked. He'd have _never_ seen that until it was too late. Aniya's expression remained neutral.

"And that's not all." She walked over to the darts and tweaked one from the wall with her gloved fingers. She sniffed it carefully, nodded, and brought it back.

"Smell this, but carefully. Don't get too close and _don't_ touch it." He complied. There was a faint, acrid smell that reminded him of decaying flesh and moist earth. He narrowed his eyes, and tried to commit the scent to memory as Aniya continued.

"This is deathroot poison, and it's fairly concentrated. It's not what I expected, but in a way it's perfect. If your former master wanted to drag you out of here nice and quietly without killing you, that'd be the easy way to do it." She tossed the dart into an empty barrel. Fenris stared at her in silence, but felt his rage, at least at her, fade.

"You're welcome, by the way." Hawke continued to return his gaze without flinching, and then, shockingly, she _winked_ at him and smirked slightly. Then, she gestured.

"Let's go, now that we've sorted _this_ out. Just don't get too far ahead, so I can watch for more of those."

Fenris nodded and followed her closely.

They were almost immediately set upon by two large clusters of shades. They were annoying but nothing the group couldn't handle. Fenris continued to shout mockery to his former master as they fought their way to the main hall. They got a nasty surprise then; a fiery demon assaulted them along with more shades. This was more of a challenge, and both Hawke and Aveline ended up with a few minor, but still painful, burns. Aveline was missing an eyebrow, and Aniya noticed she no longer had a lock of hair draped on her face every few minutes.

"There – he is probably cowering behind that door now that we've dispatched his minions." Fenris gestured up the grand central stairway.

When they topped the stairs, Aniya carefully opened the two side rooms to sweep for more demons, and then stopped before the large, central door that probably led into the Magister's chamber. She knelt and studied the lock. When she took out a lockpick and touched it, there was a loud flash of light and a _bang_. Aniya cursed and dropped her lockpick, which immediately disappeared into a crack in the floorboards.

"Ouch! Damn it, I should have anticipated that. This is magically locked. We'll have to see if we can find an appropriate key somewhere."

Fenris cursed in a language Aniya was willing to guess was Tevinter, and hurled another comment about cowardice at the locked door.

_It's interesting that he didn't suggest trying to break it down. Of course, he has to know more about what this particular mage is capable of than I ever want to. Besides, I might not have known about magical locks either if Father hadn't let me try a door that Beth had 'locked' once._

"Fenris, do you know where one might be hidden?"

"I have a couple of ideas. Let us check them." They worked their way through the rest of the mansion's first floor. They ended up killing several more shades, but at least no one was surprised to see them now. Finally, in the last room they entered, Aniya found a key that looked like it might fit that door tucked away in a desk. The key itself appeared to be attuned to a demon, because they got ambushed by a second rage demon and its accompanying shades.

_That's a lot of demons bound by one mage; a frightening number of them. _

Knowing the way was clear, Fenris rushed back and the rest of the party followed him. However, when they set themselves up to rush the door when Aniya opened it, they were all surprised to find the room empty and fairly trashed as well.

The elf was acutely disappointed and Aniya couldn't blame him.

_I wouldn't want that hanging over my head either._

Fenris had invited them to take any valuables that had been left behind, and excused himself to get some air. Aniya watched him go and shook her head. She then called Aveline and Varric over.

"Look, I don't want to accept pay for this. It just feels wrong. Are you two all right with that? I'm sure we can find more work."

Aveline nodded at her in agreement, but Varric shook his head.

"It's up to you, Hawke, but we'll have to make up for it somehow."

"Varric, honestly, I'd be surprised if Fenris has more than a few coins to rub together, just like…well, me, anyway."

"Don't worry about it, Hawke. I'll see what else I can find for bounty notices. There's bound to be _something_, and you can have anything we recover next week when you come with me on patrol. That is, anything I don't need for evidence." Aveline grinned, and Aniya smiled back.

_That's more like it, Aveline. Let's solve what we can while we can._

They headed outside, and found Fenris leaning against a shadow-covered wall at the outside of the mansion. His disappointment was written on his body language. There wasn't despair there, not yet at least, but Aniya's heart went out to him. She doubted the elf's pride would allow much in the way of comfort, but she made note of the thought anyway.

_He's obviously very intelligent, he's articulate, and he's extremely capable in a fight. As long as rage didn't blind him, he'd be a valuable ally. __**If**__ I knew I could trust him. No one deserves to be a slave, but with this kind of potential, it seems especially cruel. _ Her thoughts were broken by Fenris's voice.

"It never ends. I escaped a land of dark magic only to have it hunt me at every turn. It is a plague burned into my flesh and my soul. It seems to find me no matter where I go." Aniya started to ask him about the markings, but he continued on before she could think of a diplomatic way to ask.

"We did not find Danarius, but I still owe you a debt. Here is all the coin I have, as Anso promised."

When Aniya tried to decline it, he insisted to the point that it wasn't worth injuring the elf's pride to refuse. She reluctantly accepted the coin, silently vowing to drop it back into his belt pouch at first opportunity.

_How is it that I go from stealing food to trying to reverse-pickpocket someone? _Aniya suppressed the urge to laugh at herself and realized Fenris was about to say something else.

"If you find yourself in need of aid, I will gladly render it."

_Hah. Ask and ye shall receive. Isn't that in the Chant somewhere? _Aniya grinned at Fenris.

"Well, there is an expedition I'm trying to fund, and I'm sure I'll need skilled company once that happens." Then, Aniya remembered his comment about magic. She hesitated, and then asked the new question that burned in her mind. She had to.

_If he has a problem with Bethany, though, he'll have a problem with me._

"You should probably know that my sister is a mage, and I can't rule out working with other mages if circumstances require it."

Fenris regarded her thoughtfully, and then nodded slightly.

"I shall watch them carefully when we travel together. That is all I can promise."

Aniya nodded back.

"That's all I can reasonably expect, given what you've already said about yourself."

Fenris actually chuckled at that, almost in spite of himself.

"Fair enough. I shall be here if you need me. If Danarius wishes his mansion back, he is free to return and claim it. Aside from that, I am at your disposal." Fenris drew himself up to his full height, gave her just a hint of a smile, and a slight, formal bow. Aniya found herself having to suppress an entirely unprofessional thought that she covered by thanking him and turning to go.

_It would be horrible timing and the height of tactlessness if I complimented his looks, but_** Maker**___he's gorgeous. And articulate. And intelligent. And that voice… I could…_

_All right, Aniya, __**stop it.**__ He hired us, and he's a potential companion, __**not**__ an object on display. He's trying to escape that, remember?_

Sometimes, however, Aniya was too logical for her own good.

_Still…if I may be calling on his aid, I should get to know him better…_That thought was entirely pleasant, so for now, she left it at that.

1 This chapter quotes extensively from Act 1 at one point (those who know a certain elf's recruitment mission well will know where). The dialog is obviously not mine, but the pace there felt very odd when I glossed it over, so I added the game dialog text to help.


	5. Chapter 5

_As always, all characters are Bioware's._

**Chapter 5**

_The Hanged Man, and Lowtown, Kirkwall_

_9:31 Dragon_

As Varric discussed the need for intel on the Deep Roads with Aniya, she sighed. The pressing need for funds had been preoccupying her lately, and she honestly hadn't even considered that Bartrand and Varric lacked intel.

Her own family drama wasn't helping. Gamlen had chosen tonight to pick an argument with her. She was still outraged at his temerity, considering he was fairly well leeching off the Hawkes, and still had the nerve to complain about how little they contributed to the household. He was living better now than he had been before they'd gotten to Kirkwall.

"What do you think, Hawke?"

_Damn it._

"Sorry, Varric, I missed that. Remind me to strangle my uncle before I come over here next time."

"The Warden…?"

"Oh, right. I guess any lead is better than none, but I don't want trouble with the Wardens if we can avoid it. If he's gone rogue and they have good reason to track him down then I don't want to get caught between the two."

"I don't think that's the case, Hawke. The impression I'm getting is he heals the poor in Lowtown, particularly the Fereldens, and pretty much keeps to himself. Doesn't sound like an entirely bad guy, to tell you the truth."

_An apostate and former Grey Warden healer 'working' somewhat openly in Lowtown? Well, He may not be the sharpest dagger in the market, but he's got balls of solid granite. I'll give him that. _

"All right, Varric. Bethany is more familiar with the Ferelden underground than I am. I'll see what she knows about maybe finding him."

"No need, Sister. I don't know exactly where he's operating, but I know at least two people who do. I want to go talk to him anyway."

Aniya turned, vaguely surprised that Bethany had snuck up on her so quietly, and gave her a worried frown.

"We can discuss the wisdom of that later, Beth. You know he'll have Templars sniffing around if he doesn't already."

Bethany rolled her hazel eyes at Aniya, started to say something, and then thought better of it.

"Varric, I need to borrow my sister. I promise I'll return her _mostly_ unscathed." Bethany smiled charmingly at the dwarf. She'd warmed to him and vice versa. Hawke wasn't sure if it was his charm, her sweetness, or some of each. Their banter was relaxed and friendly, and honestly, Aniya was relieved that Beth had a potential friend who didn't seem to care one way or the other about her magic, and just seemed to like her for _her_.

"All right. You did look pretty fierce when you walked in here, Sunshine. Try not to hurt her too badly. I'm going to need her to back me up later." Varric laughed.

"Thanks for the support, Varric." Aniya sighed in mock resignation, but then winked at the dwarf as she turned to go.

Bethany put her hand on Aniya's elbow, and together, they went downstairs.

* * *

><p>"What is it, Beth?" Aniya regarded her sister with concern as Bethany practically dragged her home.<p>

"Uncle Gamlen is gone, and Mother went to bed. We need to talk and this is a good time. "

_At least he's gone, even if it is to that horrid Rose. I really managed to hit a nerve last time he and I spoke about anything related to Mother or the Will. As much as I'd like to, I can't afford to fully call him on his bullshit just yet. We still need him too much. _The idea galled Aniya.

They quickly reached Gamlen's home and let themselves in. Bethany motioned for Aniya to sit with her by the fire. Uncharacteristically, Bethany paced a little and wrung her hands before she sat down herself. When she met Aniya's eyes, her own were beginning to glisten with tears.

"I have to get this off of my chest, Aniya. Have you noticed how sad mother has been? She said something that scared me today."

Aniya sat bolt upright, her dark brown eyes concerned at first.

"What'd she say?" Aniya's eyes narrowed then, and her voice nearly became a snarl. "Was Uncle Dearest yapping at her again?"

"No, I think you rattled him pretty well the last time he tried. After you left, though, Mother broke down. We had a long talk. She knows very well Gamlen resents all of us being here, and she's afraid that their parents died hating her. She…told me that she wished the ogre had taken her instead of Carver."

"What? She said that?" Aniya sat up with an audible gasp, and her sorrow battled with her anger.

"Yes." Bethany wiped her eyes and continued, visibly shaken. "She's just been getting more and more miserable here. I want to do something for her to bring her some happiness again." Bethany peered at Aniya intently. The elder Hawke caught on immediately, and became intent. Her expression went almost predatory.

"Out with it, Beth. I take it that your plan doesn't involve murdering Gamlen while he sleeps?"

"Don't tempt me." Bethany peered at Aniya before she continued.

"Well, I was trying to say something, you know, anything to try to help her, and the conversation got very interesting. She was reminiscing about the estate, but then she got really angry and clammed up on me. You won't believe what has her so upset."

"Try me. I'll guess it starts with G and ends with N."

Bethany nodded.

"Well, yes, of course it does, but it gets even better. You know how touchy he's been about the fortune we don't have anymore? Mother found out _why_, and it put some fire back into her. I guess Gamlen got rid of it to satisfy some debt. Mother said he gave it over to _slavers_, Aniya. We have a band of _slavers _operating out of our ancestral home!"

"Gamlen's lucky he's not here right now. I'll say that much, "Aniya snarled. She got to her feet and started pacing in front of the fireplace with her fists clenched. Sarge woke up at her outburst, and watched his mistress attentively.

"I wonder what the odds are we could try to take it back? I'd have to see what we're getting into."

"For once, I'm far ahead of you, Aniya." It was Bethany's turn to look predatory, and it brought Aniya up short. It was a strange look to see on her younger sister's face.

_Oh Beth…what has all of this done to you? _Sorrow briefly poured water on Aniya's anger, leaving her feeling a little…cold.

The young mage pulled a chain from her bosom. On it dangled a plain, silvery key.

"Mother said that she still had her old key from the cellar entrance. She thinks that it will unlock the family vault as well. Gamlen said the Will was there. I can hardly believe that it would still be there, but we can find out. Mother said it was better than nothing."

"She's right. On the other hand, do I even want to know how or _why_ Mother has a key to the back exit of the estate she left behind?"

"How do you think she escaped with Father?" Bethany smiled at the romantic thought. Aniya couldn't help but be moved by the mental image as well, and she smiled despite herself.

_Is anyone in this family _not_ a hopeless romantic? Oh wait, there's always Dear Uncle…_Bethany pulled Aniya's attention back to the current topic with a passionate voice.

"Aniya, we _have_ to do this for Mother. She's had no joy in her life since Carver died. She needs it desperately. _Please."_

_She isn't the only one. You aren't fooling anyone, Beth, but I know how you feel._

Aniya nodded.

"I think we'll want to go in ready for anything, including other mages," she said. "Let me see if I can figure out a time when we can get help. Varric, I think, will help us, and I'll see if Fenris is willing. I think I can talk him into it."

"The elf?" Bethany looked dubious. She'd met Fenris once or twice recently. To her, he'd been polite, if a bit restrained and formal, but that hadn't left her with the best impression.

"We're going to need a capable sword arm if that really is a major slaver nest, Beth. We can't afford to wait for Aveline to find the time – she's too busy. Besides, Fenris has unique experience in dealing with mages."

"Do you think he'll help us?"

"It involves killing slavers, Beth. He'll help us."

"You seem awfully certain of that."

"Give him a little credit, and _trust_ me."

* * *

><p>Aniya slipped back out. She dropped by the Hanged Man, and had a quick chat with Varric. She also was able to excuse herself from Varric's latest card scheme. This freed up some time for her to investigate the 'back' tunnel into the Amell Estate, and to see if she could catch Fenris at home. Slavers tended to operate under cover of darkness, naturally, and it was far too early for that.<p>

She decided to talk to Fenris first while she waited for nightfall. As she made her way to Hightown, she reflected on her previous conversations with him. She'd made up her mind to get to know him a bit before placing anyone's life in his hands.

He'd surprised her. She hadn't been certain what to expect, exactly. She wasn't shocked he wasn't that interested in discussing his past, but she was surprised at his interest in hers. He'd even gone as far as to question why she hadn't returned to Ferelden.

_It wouldn't be home anymore. Not really. As much as I hate being beholden to Gamlen, and as much as I am starting to hate Lowtown, I can't imagine going back. _

How had he put it?

"Having somewhere you can put down roots…I understand. Still, to have the option must be gratifying."

It was why she felt vaguely guilty for wanting to hate her uncle.

_I suppose I at least remember my past. That doesn't mean I _like_ some of what I remember, but still, I'd rather know about it than not._

They discussed things a bit more, but Fenris clearly wasn't ready to open up about his past that much.

The conversation soon turned to other topics. When he'd thanked her for her help with Danarius's trap, the conversation had taken an interesting direction. It was a direction she hadn't anticipated.

"Had I known Anso would find a woman so capable, I might have asked him to look sooner."

_Did you mean that the way it sounded? Flatterer! One way to find out…_

"Maybe_ I_ should be thanking Anso." She tossed the words out there to see what he did with them.

"Maybe you should!" Fenris actually chuckled, and his green eyes reflected seemingly genuine amusement. "Perhaps I will work on my flattery for your next visit..."

She'd lost track of what else he'd said; he walked close enough to her to extend his hand. He didn't, but she still rose to accept his escort out of the mansion. She tried to keep her surprise to herself until she was safely out the door, but she smiled to herself the whole way back to Lowtown that night.

_This could get interesting…_

* * *

><p>She wasn't completely surprised to find Fenris at home. He'd seemed a little surprised to see her, but not put off by it. It turned out that he had located another bottle of Aggregio Pavali somewhere, and he offered it to her directly after he opened it. She was a little surprised he'd taken her gentle teasing about the wine seriously. During her first visit, he'd simply smashed the bottle against the wall without offering her any, and she'd dryly commented about the waste of perfectly good wine. They ended up sharing it, and Aniya quizzed him about how he was settling in.<p>

"Have there been any signs that you're being watched here?"

Fenris glanced up at her; he'd looked off into the fire. He shook his head and shrugged.

"No. Somewhat surprisingly, I might add." The idea seemed to make him a little nervous.

_Not that I blame him…_

She left him with his thoughts for a moment, and offered him the last of the Pavali. He shook his head and chuckled. She finished it and studied the spidery script on the label for a moment before setting the bottle at the foot of her chair and leaning forward.

"So, does your offer of assistance still stand? I'm in a position where I could use it, if you're willing."

A dark eyebrow rose slightly, and she found his green eyes studying her.

"It does. Do you have any details you'd care to share?"

Aniya nodded, and her eyes narrowed. She fought down anger as she spoke.

"I have reason to believe that my uncle was…negligent…in his responsibilities to his family and to my mother when my grandparents passed. To make a long story short, we assumed that Mother had been passed over in the Amell legacy. However, Bethany had a long talk with Mother about it, and learned some _very _interesting things about my uncle. My mother didn't leave on the best of terms, but she was the eldest and stood to inherit at least something. Where it gets interesting is that it turns out Gamlen 'misplaced' my grandparents' Will. He just _happened_ to do so in the vault of a house he 'gave' to a group of _slavers_ to _settle a debt._" Aniya had to get up; her vehemence surprised even her. She felt suddenly restless, and she needed to get her emotions in hand. She moved toward the fire, leaned on the mantle and pretended to study it a bit, and then turned back to Fenris. Her voice was now calmer, but colder.

"I will _not_ see my ancestral home held by slavers; that's the ultimate insult to my family as far as I'm concerned, void take his _debt_. And, if I can prove that Gamlen did that with any property that didn't rightly belong to him, so much the better. Wiping out the slavers is a nice bonus and one I intend to collect."

Aniya cracked her knuckles to emphasize her point.

Fenris nodded at her.

"I can certainly respect that. So, when do you plan to do this?"

Surprisingly, Aniya got the feeling that he'd have helped anyway, with or without the incentive of killing slavers, but she didn't dwell on it.

"I need to lay low and watch them for a couple of days. I want to figure out their activities and see what we're getting into. Once I do that, I'd like to strike as soon as we can. Ideally, I'd want to do it around the next new moon; the entrance I plan to use goes through the Darktown sewers, and that would give us the most shadows to enter unnoticed."

"Very well, I will plan on that. Shall we meet at the Hanged Man?"

Aniya nodded. She hesitated, and then took a breath and gazed directly at him.

"Thank you. I appreciate that you're willing to do this. It'll be risky, but I'm getting really tired of watching my mother just _existing _with little joy left in life at all. If Bethany and I can give her back _anything_ that she remembers that's happy, it will mean a lot, and not just to her."

Fenris nodded. Aniya was oddly reminded a second time of the conversation about putting down roots. Then, she glanced at the windows, where she could just detect moonrise.

"Speaking of which, I should probably get going so I can get started. I have a bit of planning to do." As she stepped forward to go around her now empty chair, she caught the empty bottle of Pavali with her foot and knocked it over with a clink. She picked it up, examined it for a moment, and then offered the bottle to Fenris with a raised eyebrow and a meaningful look.

He shook his head and gestured to where the last one had met its fate.

"I think you need that worse than I do right now." He glanced meaningfully toward the wall.

Aniya blinked in surprise, as she realized that he'd read her that well or cared enough to notice. She nodded once, and casually flipped the bottle over in her hand so she had just the right balance. Then, she took a deep breath and threw it into the wall with surprising force. The bottle broke spectacularly, and its glittering shards joined those of the first with soft, musical clinks.

She met his half-smile with her own, and laughed.

"I see the attraction in decorating that way. It's probably gratifying once in a while."

Fenris nodded, and chuckled himself.

"I do not plan to make a habit of it, but yes. It is."

She smiled at him in thanks, then left, still laughing to herself.

* * *

><p>After Hawke left, Fenris shook his head and sat back down, still amused.<p>

His reaction to the woman surprised him. Granted, he hadn't expected to find anyone who was willing to help him at all, never mind doing so at a moment's notice and with considerable enthusiasm. Granted, the slavers preyed on her people nearly as much as the elves, but it seemed to be more than that. Hawke genuinely seemed to want to get rid of them, no matter the target, and he had to respect her for it. She'd also made it perfectly clear that she would be glad to help with any more forces sent by Danarius. Considering her own skill with blades, she would make too valuable an ally to turn down lightly. He certainly had few enough of those now.

_And even _that_ is an improvement. I cannot say I've ever had any true allies to speak of. Not since the Ritual, anyway._

He was unaccustomed to such kindness, and he felt all the more indebted to her for it. He didn't think that was her intent, but that didn't change anything. He was actually very relieved that she came to him for assistance, even without the added pleasure of eliminating a considerable nest of slavers. He was actually vaguely familiar with that lot, and he'd had to go out of his way to avoid them more than once. It would be a relief to be rid of them.

* * *

><p>Nearly a week later, Aniya was leading Bethany, Varric, Sarge, and Fenris toward Darktown with a grim expression on her face. She had chosen to strike when the slavers were regrouping to make more raids into Lowtown, Darktown, and some of the outlying areas of Kirkwall.<p>

_Just like a nest of hornets – deal with it at night when they are all there so they can't rebuild. Works for me. _

Aniya advanced on the alley where she'd discovered the sewer entrance. Bethany's directions from Leandra had been perfect and it hadn't been difficult. The trip through the sewers didn't take long, especially since they were mercifully dry. They found the cellar entrance right where Leandra said it would be. Cautiously, Aniya tried the door while her companions prepared for a rush. It was locked, so they needn't have bothered. Bethany joined Aniya and passed her the key.

"This is it, Sister."

"Indeed. One way or another, life is about to change for us." Aniya whispered as Bethany dropped the key into her palm. She then glanced up at Fenris and Varric, her dark eyes intent. "Stay sharp. Gamlen says they guard the front heavily, but I wouldn't count on just waltzing into the cellars either. She paused and looked pointedly at Fenris. "_I'll _take point so I can take care of any little surprises they may have left in there."

The elf nodded back at her, his expression unreadable. Aniya suppressed a sigh.

"Let's go."

Aniya took the key and unlocked the door. The hinges protested a little, making them all wince, but the door opened easily enough_._ She carefully slipped inside and let her eyes adjust to the low light. The others joined her, and Varric quietly pulled the door shut behind them. Surprisingly, they didn't encounter anyone until they'd proceeded past a second door.

Aniya slipped further up the hall and stopped to disarm a tripwire. As she knelt, she heard voices. She froze, held her breath, and listened as she tried to determine how many there were. The tripwire mechanism _clicked_ as she finished disarming it. She released it, stood, and inclined her head toward the door.

She eased a small flask from a loop on her belt and grasped the doorknob. When everyone was in place, she pulled it open and chucked the flask inside. There was a soft _clink_ as it broke, and surprising silence as the dust within flashed, briefly blinding the lot. With that, Aniya and Fenris rushed the occupants as Bethany and Varric backed them up. They struck swiftly, but when Varric shot down one who pushed past him and tried to run for it, the runner shouted an alarm as he fell.

_Shit._

At the same time, a nearby door slammed open and a few more armed guards streamed out. Varric wisely retreated but as he did so, Bianca spoke repeatedly, sending several bolts toward them. The first couple of guards fell, slowing the rest a bit. By that point, Fenris had returned to the hallway. With surprising speed, he interposed himself between the rush and Varric. Aniya was right on his heels. They made short work of the rest. For the moment, the cellar was silent again.

Now that they had a moment, both Bethany and Aniya took a look around. There were crates of supplies in both rooms, stacked somewhat haphazardly. They made their way a little farther into the cellars, and found several small storage rooms. They found a few small valuables, but nothing of real value. As they prepared to delve farther into the estate, a dull shimmer caught Aniya's eye. She hesitated, and wandered back towards the shadowy corner. There was a dusty cloth hanging over what looked like a shield on the wall. Bethany saw it too, and joined her. Aniya slowly walked up to it, reached out, and pulled the cloth aside. As the dust cleared, they could all make out a shield with a crest. There were two falcons in red relief, shown in climbing flight, facing each other with clutched talons. Aniya and Bethany simultaneously gasped. Bethany seized Aniya's elbow excitedly.

"Bethany, is that…" Aniya was transfixed.

"It is! I could really feel like someone with _that_ hanging over the door!"

For the moment, the two sisters stared at the small reminder of their legacy. Aniya shook it off first.

"Come on, guys. Let's go see what we can do about giving this somewhere to shine in the light again." The resolve in her voice shook Bethany out of her own reverie, and both Fenris and Varric looked at the crest an additional moment before moving on.

They made their way a little farther in, and entered a more open area near an ascending stairwell. A light appeared at the top, and they heard the jingle of armor as several men started down the stairwell.

"That's a raiding patrol." Two voices said it simultaneously, and with a similar grim tone. Green eyes and brown traded a glance, and their owners nodded.

Aniya strode forward calmly, stepping into the light, and cleared her throat. The patrol stopped, and the leader laughed as he stepped forward.

"Well, look at this. We don't often get volunteers! A couple of pretty ones, no less, and an elf with a nice bounty as well."

Aniya cringed inwardly at that last comment, but continued on.

"I beg to differ, _gentlemen._" She hurled the term like a curse. "I see a bunch of slaving scum polluting property that isn't rightfully theirs. We're going to put a stop to both."

Right on cue, Sarge stepped up next to her and snarled menacingly. She saw Fenris out of the corner of her eye on one side, and Bethany on the other. She also heard Bianca snap open, confirming that Varric was ready.

The leader laughed and then barked an order.

"Take this lot alive, men, so we can have a little fun after."

Fenris beat her to it.

"Good luck with that," he retorted.

There was a snap, and three crossbow bolts found three targets in the open stairway. Varric's sarcastic voice carried along as well.

"Oops. Oh well, the minx has a mind of her own. What can I say?"

Fenris, Aniya, and Sarge met the charging patrol. Fenris ignored the blade of the first one he faced, and brought his own down in a vicious, two-handed arc. Not only did the first attacker fall, but the one behind him stumbled as well. The elf smirked.

"Is _that_ the best you can do?"

The slavers moved to flank him, but found that difficult as Sarge overbore one of them. Aniya stepped past him, within a hair's breadth of Fenris's reach, and feinted with her main hand. The attacker took the feint, and she spun, stabbing backwards toward him with both blades. Her attacker gurgled and fell as Aniya pivoted back to face the rest.

"Do you want to fight? _Try me."_ She edged closer to Fenris, guarding his back as she had once guarded Carver's. It felt very natural. She bound the blade of a second attacker with her off-hand and kept him from blocking her main hand. She then reached under his guard and impaled the man's exposed throat. She heard Bianca speak again. Varric gleefully taunted anyone who tried to escape his friends and downed them with clean, perfectly-placed shots. Bethany moved the end of her father's staff in an arc, creating a cone of frost in front of her.

"Get the mage!" Two of their attackers broke off and sidestepped the frost. As they reached her, one stopped abruptly as his eye sprouted a feathered crossbow bolt. The second was dragged down from behind by over five stone of snarling, bloodstained mabari as Sarge made his presence known a second time.

"Nice shot, Varric!" Bethany called. She turned her attention back to their remaining foes just in time to see a blade creep along Fenris's armor and bite into his arm. The wound interrupted the elf's timing and forced him to let go of the sword with one hand. Bethany reacted reflexively and healed the wound. Fenris recovered as if nothing happened and swept the blade in a broad arc, taking out the last two patrolmen. Only the leader was left now, and he tried to run. Another bolt from Varric pinned him to the wall.

Fenris stepped forward, his face haunting in its disciplined lines. He didn't show any expression except determination. A blue glow traced its way along his markings. He stood perfectly still in front of the pinned slaver for a moment, and then reached smoothly forward. His hand disappeared into the slaver's chest, and the leader's face became a rictus of pain.

"There is a very good reason that bounty goes unclaimed." For the first time, Fenris's expression changed to one of controlled hatred. There was a sickening snap and a burst of blood, and the patrol leader fell dead at the elf's feet.

"Don't count yourself victorious yet, elf." Five more men casually strode down the stairs. In the center was a man clothed in Tevinter-style robes. The air around the mage and his companions shimmered, and Bianca's bolts bounced off.

"And you, "the mage inclined his head at Aniya, "know not in what you meddle. This property was gained from its heir, and it is you who are the intruder."

"That's currently up for debate, actually." Aniya stepped forward a second time. Fenris joined her warily, preparing for whatever the mage was planning. Varric kept Bianca pointed directly at the remaining slavers, and Bethany's hands glowed menacingly. "Regardless, you will not continue to disgrace the Amell estate. I'll work on my claim to it once we've dealt with you."

"Amell? Really. I didn't know Gamlen had any heirs, never mind jumped-up Ferelden bitches." The mage shifted his stance and took his staff from his back.

Aniya spat. "You're forgetting his sister, Leandra."

"Ahhh. The disgraced daughter's pups, then. It matters not, _Amell_ heir." The mage moved so quickly that the crystal on his staff and the glow of his hands were one blur. A bolt of force sprang from those hands and slammed into Aniya, sending her flying into the opposite wall. Bethany made a slashing motion with her hand with a scream of anger. A blade of blue magic arced out and flew toward the slavers. When it struck the shield, it wavered and vanished.

"Kill them all except the elf. His bounty is worth the trouble." The mage's burly guards stepped forward. The mage raised his staff as the crystal began to glow again. The glow wavered as the mage staggered. The hilt of a dagger gleamed from his right shoulder; Aniya was already on her feet and rushing to reclaim her thrown blade.

Fenris and Sarge engaged two of the guards. Varric feathered a second. Bethany encased the third in ice. Aniya raced past her, slicing the frozen guard's throat as she ran by. She charged past the last guard and rushed the mage before he could get another shield raised. She lashed out with her main hand, opening a bloody slice through the mage's robes. With her left hand, she followed up by pulling her dagger from his shoulder and bashing him across the nose with it. The mage staggered back and nearly fell, obviously dazed. Aniya pinned him to the wall and crossed her blades just beneath his jaw. Her own breath was roaring in her ears, and she felt a certain righteous anger heightening her senses. She dimly noticed her companions closing in behind her. She ignored them; her focus was the slaver leader pinned in front of her. She fixed his eyes with hers. Her voice was low and harsh with menace.

"All you need to know about _me_ is that my name is Hawke, I am an Amell heir, and you and your men are no longer welcome in _our_ estate." With that, she stepped back slightly and opened the mage's throat from ear to ear with a single slash. She watched the mage drop with studied indifference, and while he breathed his last, she cleaned her blades on his robes. She lifted a key ring from his belt and stood with an expression of grim satisfaction. She passed it to Bethany and nodded her thanks to Varric and Fenris.

"Now that we've dealt with one stain on the Amell legacy, let's deal with the other one."

She turned and grimly mounted the stairs, with Sarge and Bethany at her side. Bethany had finished looking through the keys on it and found one whose style matched the one they'd used to enter the estate.

"It has to be this one."

They didn't have to look long to find the vault from where they were. When Bethany tried to pass the key to Aniya, she shook her head.

"You do the honors, Bethany. This was your idea."

Bethany regarded Aniya and blinked back tears. She then unlocked the vault and swung the door open. All four stepped slowly inside, and Sarge followed them. There were several armoires and a few rolled-up canvases, but the feature that mattered most was the lockbox on the far wall. Bethany tried the vault key on it, but it didn't fit.

Aniya smiled suddenly, struck with an idea. She passed Bethany the key they'd used to get into the sewer entrance. Bethany tried it, and it worked. Bethany gaped in surprise, and Aniya was moved.

"So they did intend for Mother to have access to this, at least."

Bethany looked through the lockbox and let out a squeak of excitement.

"Here it is!" She unfolded it, and quickly scanned it. As she did so, her face darkened into a scowl.

"What is it?" Aniya moved to stand beside her and glanced at it. Her face soon matched Bethany's.

"Oh, _this_ is interesting. I think I'm going to enjoy watching Gamlen squirm," Aniya muttered.

"So let it be, Sister." The sisters wore nearly identical expressions of grim anticipation as Aniya released the Will back into Bethany's lone possession.

They carefully removed the rest of the lockbox's contents as they explained the short version to Fenris and Varric. After that, they slipped into the main hall of the estate and looked around briefly. Aniya was struck by the size of the place and found herself wondering what it might have looked like in its former glory. Unfortunately, those days were past. Old furniture was piled everywhere and covered with dust. The windows were clouded and all of the hearths were filled with ash.

On the way out, they stopped to check the vault again. Aniya found a few items of jewelry and a couple of rolled-up portraits. She decided to take them for now. She jammed the lock of the vault when they left.

"It's not like there's much to steal, but still, it makes me feel better."

They also made a final sweep of the cellars. There weren't any captives currently being held, but they did stumble across a small cache of weapons and the wine cellar. The cellar had surprisingly been locked. Apparently the slave master wasn't an idiot, despite his occupation, and kept his men out of the good stuff. Despite its dilapidated state, there was still a fair amount there.

"Well, let's grab something celebratory and lock the rest back up until we're in a position to do something better with it. I'm guessing there may be some very nice surprises given how long this has been here."

Before they stepped back into Darktown, Aniya stopped Fenris and Varric.

"Listen. I…I don't know what might come of this. It could only be that our mother can find some peace. But – "

Varric started to say something, but Fenris shook his head.

"You know my thoughts on the subject, and I am glad I was in a position to assist." A dark eyebrow rose slightly. "Although, taking out slavers who knew something about me _was_ a bonus."

Aniya blinked, and chuckled in surprise at the latter statement. Bethany simply looked stunned. Varric took the opportunity to chime in.

"Helping you and Sunshine is worth it, Hawke. You're giving me enough story material to last for months, after all!" The dwarf smiled and gave them a humorous bow.

"I…thank you, both. Very much." Aniya's voice wavered a little, and she just stopped talking. Bethany nodded speechless agreement. "We should probably go. This news shouldn't wait."

When they were out of earshot, Aniya elbowed Bethany and winked at her.

"See? I told you!" Bethany laughed, and the two sisters linked arms as they walked back home with the lightest hearts they'd had in a very long time.

* * *

><p><em>Aniya and Bethany revealed to Leandra Hawke that her parents had not died angry with her. That did a great deal to restore at least some of Leandra's zest for life. Getting the chance to reveal that their grandparents had read Gamlen like a book, and dictated only an allowance for him didn't bother Aniya or Bethany at all.<em>

_It didn't solve their money problems, but Aniya and Bethany both slept much better after regaining the Will._


	6. Chapter 6

_Dragon Age and its characters belong to Bioware._

**Chapter 6**

_**Author's Note:**__ I want to take a moment to thank my alpha reader, Arquen, for all of her input and editing. She's really been a force in fine-tuning this story, and I'm grateful for her help, patience, and advice. She's really challenged me to be a better storyteller. A large chunk of Chapter 6 was rewritten according to ideas she offered when she saw what I was trying to do with it, and she has my heartfelt gratitude. __**Thanks, Arquen!**_

* * *

><p><em>The effort to reclaim the Amell estate went quite well; Aniya and Bethany found the Will, and the evidence they needed to prove Leandra's rights to inherit from her parents. More importantly to all three, it revealed that Leandra's parents had not stopped loving her. Leandra had taken that news like a strong shot of whiskey after coming in from the cold. Her eyes were lively again, and she regained some of her old spirit and enthusiasm for life.<em>

_Gamlen hadn't taken the news as well, but both Aniya and Bethany relished the hangdog look he'd given all of them when his actions had been revealed. The two women had both vented some anger at him, and he'd gotten the message. He still found plenty to complain about, but at least he wasn't badgering Leandra constantly. He didn't dare; Aniya had made it quite clear that she expected that behavior to cease, and it did. If he was spending more time at the Rose lately, at least it got him out of sight and out of mind._

_Raiding the Estate had been a good test for Aniya as well, and she was pleased. The team she was assembling worked together very well. Fenris had worked seamlessly with Bethany, which had been far more than Aniya had hoped for; she'd feared more conflict between them. In fact, one could almost sense that Fenris had agreed to accept Bethany on her own merits and as Aniya's sister, even if her magic still made him wary. The fact that she'd healed a fairly nasty wound he took easily and quickly, with no animosity and her usual gentle kindness probably helped. At least what had started out as a chilly relationship between the two was becoming cautious respect._

_Varric got along with everybody, so needless to say he fit right in with all involved._

_With the immediate question of the Amell Estate answered and family issues addressed for a time, Aniya could turn her full attention back to funding her portion of the Deep Roads expedition. This, though, brought them back to another problem that needed to be solved…_

* * *

><p><em>Thirty-four, thirty-five. Well, it's progress!<em>

Aniya let out the breath she'd been holding. The raid on the estate had also been profitable in terms of loot and spoils they'd lifted in their quick survey of the cellars. Between that and several bounties being honored, she was well on her way to meeting the fifty-sovereign buy-in.

Varric had been patient, but he was pressing for contact with the rogue Grey Warden. Aniya swept the coin back into her pouch and considered where to conceal it. An evil grin spread across her face as her eyes settled on Sarge's 'bed' – a well-loved old blanket that the dog guarded very carefully.

"Sarge. Come here, boy." Aniya gently woke the snoring mabari and gestured him to one side. He whined sleepily at her, but complied, then _whuffed_ as she moved his blanket.

"Don't worry, boy. It's just for a moment. I have a favor to ask." With the tip of one of her knives, Aniya carefully pried the nails out of one of the floorboards and lifted it. She cautiously moved a little of the earth beneath and stashed the coin purse there. She pushed most of the dirt back down over it and packed the rest level. One by one, she replaced the nails and then threw the blanket back over the whole thing.

"When we're here, do you think you can keep an eye on this for me?" Aniya asked her mabari with a grin. Sarge _woofed_ happily and bowed down, wagging his stump of a tail.

"Good boy!" Aniya took his head between her hands and vigorously scratched his ears. "Just don't let Gamlen near it! We should be safe, though. It's not like he ever sweeps the floors, and he won't go near anything of yours anyway." Aniya rolled her eyes at the mabari.

Sarge growled in mock menace and then resumed his playful bow. Then, he looked up and whined at Bethany as she walked in the door. The mage was clearly excited.

"Aniya! Where have you been? Varric actually went so far as to send me for you. We're supposed to be locating that Warden he talked about and seeing about the maps."

"Well, let's not keep Varric waiting, then. He's been hounding me about that for days," Aniya said with a put-upon sigh.

Bethany shook her head in amusement.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, tracking down a former Grey Warden proved to be more difficult than Aniya anticipated. Both Varric, through his network, and Bethany, through her own work with the Ferelden refugees, had heard that Lirene might know something about him. When they'd approached her, however, she'd been very protective, even defensive, of the man. At first, she'd played completely dumb when Aniya had questioned her.<p>

"The only Grey Warden I know of slew the Archdemon and saved us all."

Fortunately for Aniya, one of the refugees had helpfully mentioned that the 'healer' was supposed to be a Warden. That had made things easier, although Lirene was still a tough nut to crack. Even Aniya's best efforts to charm any usable information out of her had fallen flat. In the end, it had been Bethany that had won Lirene over.

"We would never turn someone over to the Templars, Mistress. _Never._"

Lirene did recognize Bethany from her attempts to help the Ferelden refugees, and in the end, the established trust won the shopkeeper over. Still, Lirene was reluctant to give up the information they sought.

"To find the healer, look for the lit lantern. If you have need enough, Anders will be within."

Aniya wasted no time in taking advantage of it, other than for a brief pause to talk some angry Ferelden refugees out of killing _them_.

_Maker's Breath. What has this man done that the refugees are willing to kill other Fereldens at the whisper of a threat to him? This 'former' Warden is starting to sound too good to be true…and that's starting to worry me._

There weren't any immediate answers when they arrived at the place that Lirene had described. When they walked in, there was a family clustered around a pallet, and a man standing over the boy who was lying on it. The mage's hands emitted a blue, glowing field of magic over the boy. Bethany bit her lip when the unconscious child flinched under the magic, and the healer struggled with whatever he was trying to heal. She leaned over and whispered to Aniya in an undertone. Fenris casually inclined his head to listen as well, but he didn't take his suspicious gaze off of the healer.

"Maker, that's risky. That poor man has next to no reserves left to be trying that…"

"What?"

"Never mind – I think it's working!"

Bethany was right. The male mage appeared to struggle further with whatever he was trying to heal, and apparently won. The boy awakened, and sat up, assisted by his mother. The mage slumped in exhaustion. A man who apparently was the boy's father stepped forward and laid a hand on the healer's shoulder in mute thanks. As the patient's parents carefully moved his pallet to a less crowded part of the clinic, the healer remained slumped against the wall. Bethany gazed at him with respect and sympathy.

"He's _good…_"

Fenris could be counted on to have an opinion when an unknown mage was involved, and he didn't disappoint this time, either.

"That remains to be seen," he muttered dubiously, and shook his head.

Aniya sighed, and moved to approach the healer. As she did, he seemed to stiffen briefly, and whipped around to face them. He seized his staff, and assumed a defensive stance. Aniya felt both Bethany and Fenris tense in response. This 'healer' seemed more than ready to try to deal with them, and something sounded very … strange… about his voice. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and she, too, shifted her stance.

"_I have made this place a sanctum of healing and salvation. Why do you threaten it?"_

Varric stepped up next to Aniya, and his presence reminded her that they _needed_ this man's cooperation somehow. She took a deep breath, relaxed her own stance, and willed her own tension to reasonable levels. She tried very hard to keep her voice conciliatory, and fortunately, Bethany and Fenris followed her lead and eased their own stances, as did the healer. When she inquired about his past as a Warden, and presented her case to him, however, she got the answer she was half-expecting.

"I'm not interested. Although…, " the mage's expression changed, and turned thoughtful. "A favor for a favor. Does that sound fair to you?"

Aniya asked for specifics, and when she heard them, her first impulse was to tell Varric to find help from somewhere else. The former Warden's price was far higher than she wanted to pay, and it put them at direct odds with the Templars to boot. Aniya glanced at Bethany nervously and argued the wisdom of entering the Chantry to free a Circle mage. The Warden, Anders, wouldn't budge, though. Aniya cursed herself inwardly, and agreed.

_Maker only _knows_ how this will turn out, and whether or not I just signed Bethany's arrest warrant…or warrants for the rest of us, for that matter. I certainly won't blame Fenris if he isn't willing to go for this._

* * *

><p>He surprised her, though. They all did. Varric commented that he was serious about their partnership. Bethany stubbornly refused to stay behind, and had gone far enough to pick a fight with Aniya about it. Fenris clearly doubted the wisdom of the whole enterprise, but he'd seemed almost offended when Aniya offered him a chance to refuse. She greatly respected him for it.<p>

_You don't agree with me, but you've got my back anyway. There's something to be said for that. I hope I can return the favor someday._

That night, the four of them met Anders in the shadows of the Chantry gates. He'd immediately demanded to do the talking, and set them to the task Aniya dreaded – watching for Templars. She gave Bethany a worried look as they followed the former Warden into the sanctuary and toward the dormitory, but her sister refused to acknowledge it.

_Bloody brilliant. We're going up against Templars and you insist on going. Flames, Beth!_

Surprisingly, they encountered no one on the way to the dormitory. Once they were there, Anders located his friend and stepped forward to speak with him. When Aniya first heard his voice, her blood went cold. Karl's voice was flat, and devoid of emotion. Anders' voice confirmed her impression when the other man turned to face them. Aniya cursed quietly. Bethany went pale. Fenris checked their backs, and Varric moved to give himself some space, putting his back to a wall.

"Karl! _No!_"

It turned out that Anders' 'friend' had been the bait for a trap. The Templars they _hadn't_ been seeing up until now closed in on them. It was then that Aniya and her companions got a larger, and more alarming, surprise.

The former Grey Warden shouted a denial in that voice that wasn't quite _his_, and fell to his knees, grasping his head oddly. He was surrounded by a crackling field of blue energy that seemed to _occupy_ him. When the mage regained his feet, he was covered with 'cracks' of blue light, his eyes were pools of blue fire, and he was surrounded by whiteish-blue, transparent flames.

"_**You will never take another mage as you did him!"**_

For a moment, Aniya was too shaken to react. Fenris looked torn about who to attack; for a moment, Aniya thought he would abandon the Templars and cut down that _thing _that was Anders, instead. There was an insane second where _she_ considered it, too.

_Abomination?_

The loud _Snap! Snap! Snap!_ of Bianca firing startled Aniya back to reality, and she saw the edges of her weapons glow as Bethany lent her magic to their efforts. She shouted a challenge at a Templar who started to charge her sister, and moved to intercept him. As she cut him down, she realized that Bethany was battling the Templars rather than "Anders".

"I hope you know what you're doing!" She yelled at Bethany.

"I hope I do too! Arrgh!" Bethany swung her staff and sent a bolt of fire at a Templar who was threatening Varric. Fenris roared a challenge to the apparent commanding officer, but he was in danger of being surrounded.

_I'll deal with this…_

Aniya fought her way to his back. His fighting style was different from Carver's, but she'd fought with him enough now to be able to predict, roughly, what he was going to do. She bought him time to deal with the commander, and managed to put a throwing knife through the eye of another Templar that tried to rush Bethany.

"Anders" was doing a good job of laying waste to Templars himself; the flames surrounding him were proving lethal and resistant to whatever the Templars were trying to do to bring him under control. They weren't even getting close, and those that tried were stopped by Bethany and Varric. It wasn't long before the Templars that engaged them had been dealt with. Aniya wasn't sheathing her weapons, though, and neither was anyone else. They cautiously surrounded "Anders" as the blue flames faded. Suddenly, the former Warden looked like any ordinary human man.

Suddenly, the man they'd come to rescue found his voice again, and this time, there was emotion, and inflection, in it.

"Anders! What did you _do_?"

Somehow, Anders managed to avoid answering that question directly. Karl described him shining like a beacon, as if he'd brought a piece of the Fade into 'this' world. The most startling thing, though, was that Karl sounded like he was no longer Tranquil. Bethany shuddered in horror as Karl begged Anders to kill him before the feeling faded, and although her expression remained fearful, there were tears in her eyes.

Suddenly, Aniya couldn't look at her. If she did, she'd simply abandon all of them and physically drag her sister as far away from the Chantry as she could get her.

In the end, Anders had complied, with the Hawke sisters' quiet support. It was obvious there was some prior closeness between the two mages. For some reason, she suddenly remembered watching Aveline grant Ser Wesley's request for release from the Blight.

After that act, Anders had simply, and quietly, led them back to his clinic. During that trip, Aniya had a chance to remember _why_ she'd been so shaken at the Chantry, and she remembered the question of the hour. She confronted Anders the moment they were back in his clinic.

"So…this is the part where you tell me you're an abomination?"

The situation had deteriorated from there as Anders explained his merger with a 'Spirit' of Justice. He claimed good intentions had motivated him, but Aniya was dubious. Bethany clearly disagreed with his actions if not his motive. Of course, Fenris had his own opinion, delivered in a sarcastic, blistering tone that made his stance clear.

"Of course! No harm _ever_ comes from good intentions, even when magic is involved."

Anders glared at Fenris for a brief moment before he sighed and mostly abandoned the argument. Suddenly, it seemed he simply wanted to be left alone. He handed Aniya the promised sheaf of maps and sent them on their way. He did mention that although he'd have understood if that was all they had to do with him, he would be in his clinic if they wanted to find him.

After they left, Aniya allowed herself a Fenris-like eyeroll.

_Riiiight. Knowing my luck, Varric will decide we need him on the expedition _because_ he's a Grey Warden. It's logical, all right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it._

She didn't realize she'd actually said it aloud until Fenris scoffed derisively and shook his head. She shrugged at him and sighed. Suddenly, she didn't feel like talking anymore. All she wanted was a bath and bed, in that order.

She felt _dirty_. She felt used by Anders _and_ Varric, disgusted by the number of lives they'd taken that night, and fearful for Bethany. They'd tried not to leave a trail, but Aniya planned to lay low for a few days and to persuade Bethany to do the same.

Speaking of which…

_We need to talk, Beth._

* * *

><p>"Bethany, what's gotten into you<em>?" <em> Aniya turned and confronted the young mage after she closed and locked the door.

"_Ssshhhhh! _ You don't have to wake everyone, Sister!" Bethany whispered. There was a determined look on her face.

"You saw what happened! The man is possessed!" Aniya hissed angrily.

"I'm not so sure, Aniya!" Bethany answered just as emphatically, getting practically nose to nose with her sister.

"Oh, so it's not a demon because he says it isn't? That didn't look like some benevolent spirit and it didn't act like it either!"

"That's not what I meant! He was right about benevolent spirits in the Fade. We've seen a few abominations and he's nothing like any of them. I'm inclined to believe him when he says Justice isn't a demon. Also, when he ah…_changed_, the magic _felt_ different."

Aniya stepped back, still looking extremely dubious.

"What do you mean?"

"I can _sense_ when blood magic is being used. It makes my skin crawl. It's hard to describe. Anyway, to bind a demon requires that. I'd know if he was using it, and I didn't get that feeling when he…manifested. Besides, what _demon_ would be healing people without any real chance at payment and at risk of being dragged to the Gallows? Does that _sound_ like Pride, Rage, Sloth, Hunger, or Desire?"

Aniya cast her mind into her past, trying to remember what their father had taught her about the Fade and its denizens. Since Aniya wasn't a mage, it hadn't been as extensive as what he'd taught Bethany. She took a deep breath, and stood for a moment lost in thought. Bethany let her contemplate. Aniya finally shook her head when she spoke again, but her voice was at least somewhat calmer. She still paced quietly as she worked through her thoughts.

"I don't like it, Beth, but I'm not a mage. Don't ask me to trust him, though. I know you admire what he's been doing helping refugees, but that doesn't mean nothing else is afoot. Why did he _really_ run from Ferelden and the Grey Wardens? Why did he _have_ to? Did they know about … Justice? Do you really buy that story about leaving because of a _cat_? Those are some pretty big questions, Beth! Something doesn't fit."

Bethany sighed.

"Aniya, all I'm saying is look at how the man otherwise acts. He's doing a lot of good with little thought for his own benefit. And he seems to be quite the healer, from everything I've heard. That doesn't scream 'demonic possession' to me. It speaks of someone who tried to help a friend and got in over his head. Don't judge him too quickly."

Unbidden, Fenris's sarcastic response about good intentions echoed in her head.

Aniya didn't always agree with his assessment of mages in general, but after seeing Justice in action, her gut instinct was to agree with him.

_Speaking of Fenris, though, wasn't I telling Bethany something similar about _him _not too long ago, right after I saw him rip someone's heart out with powers none of us have ever seen before? _

_Now I'm caught by my own damn logic. _Aniya shrugged and conceded the point.

"I suppose he did still give us the maps, too. At least he didn't go back on his word. I still don't trust him _yet_, though."

"I'm not _asking_ you to. I'm just asking you to give him the same courtesy I gave to Fenris," Bethany said matter-of-factly.

_Ouch. I earned that. _Aniya sighed.

"You have a fair point. I'll try. That's all I can say."

"Thank you." Bethany smiled and then yawned hugely. "Now that we have that out of the way, I'm going to get some rest. It's been a long few days."

On an impulse, Aniya hugged her sister tightly.

"Sleep well."

Aniya knew Bethany would never say as much, but a good night's sleep was something they both desperately needed.

* * *

><p>The clinic was quiet. It usually was at this time of night, and it was usually when Anders did manage to catch whatever brief rest he could. Tonight, or rather this morning, though, sleep eluded him. He stared at the ceiling of his small sleeping alcove above the ward, and half-listened for any sounds of distress from below.<p>

_Oh, Karl…_

He could remember his terrible dread and sorrow at seeing the brand on the poor man's face, and hearing his emotionless voice as he spoke of the Templars teaching Anders to control himself. He'd felt that brief thrill of fear that always came just before …

_There was no stopping Justice. Not that I would have even _tried,_ had I any say in it._

It had been different this time. He remembered _everything _that happened. He'd been astonished to hear Karl's voice regain warmth and emotion with the filthy brand on his forehead. Anders could _see_ the amazement on Karl's face as he remembered what life was _really_ supposed to _feel_ like. His slide back into Tranquility made him beg for his own death. Anders' heart had broken in that moment. He thought he'd left his past with Karl, his most cherished memory of better times, but then it all came crashing back.

_I didn't realize there was a difference between being lovers and being loved until Karl. He changed my life, and all I did tonight was take his. It's my fault; I failed him when he needed me most._

There was the stirring again; Justice did not consider his needs for vengeance satisfied. Anders struggled to fight the rising, righteous anger down.

_Not now. __**Please.**_

His own emotions were too raw to deal with managing his friend's as well. Anders's face was damp with tears again. It took him a while to pull his thoughts away from the shadows of his grief and back to the rest of the night's events.

The second, if lesser disaster of the evening had exposed the secret that had caused him to flee the Wardens and Ferelden, though; one he had hoped to keep to himself. .

_No one, not even me, fully understood the merger right after it happened. I should have known that Justice would view things differently in this world than I do, and that it would lead to struggles between us._

He hadn't intended to even bring the Merger up with anyone in Kirkwall without very good reason or extreme provocation.

_Of course, watching my first love turn around with that damned brand on his face certainly counted._

He'd been forced to rip his mind out of his grief for Karl when they got back to the clinic. The mercenary who'd reluctantly agreed to help him free Karl had immediately confronted him about it when they were safely back in the clinic. She seemed to at least vaguely know what she was talking about, but she had clearly been furious.

Her vehemence on the subject didn't surprise him. She really hadn't wanted to potentially take on Templars in the Chantry. He'd assumed that was out of fear, but it could have been out of concern for protecting her family. Maker knew she wouldn't be out of line fearing for them. Her sister was, after all, an apostate, even if she tried to hide it.

_What was her name? Hawke. Aniya, I think, but she wanted to be called Hawke. Bethany was the sister._

The sad thing was he could have sent them all packing. He really had thought they'd been sent by the Wardens at first. The women would have seemed right at home in the Vigil. However, the dwarf's demeanor didn't suggest he carried a Warden's Taint, but he could have been a guide.

He had, however, immediately disliked the elf..

Anders drew his muddled mind away from the tattooed warrior and back to Hawke. Suddenly he realized why he'd been so … moved by the woman's appeal for his help. He realized why he'd been so willing to listen to her.

_She reminds me of Iryne. _

Iryne Cousland, Commander of the Grey and the Hero of Ferelden, had Conscripted Anders to keep him out of Templar hands. Her Conscription of him was as much a warning to the Templars to stay out of Warden business as willingness to accept him. He knew that now. Still, he'd been greatly relieved when it became clear that the Templars were going home empty-handed.

Anders knew himself better than to wonder if he should have turned down the Conscription. It wasn't like he'd really had a choice. Yet, even with the price he paid, some freedom from the Circle and the protection his Warden status had offered him had been a wonderful breath of fresh air.

_Iryne was the first real friend I had in a long time. She made nearly every bad part about becoming a Warden worth it._

The Warden Commander had won his respect in her tireless efforts to not only rebuild the Grey Wardens in Ferelden, but also in her attempts to do right by the people of Amaranthine. The Arling had been the holding of her mortal enemy, but she didn't take out any remaining anger at Lord Howe on the people _or_ on Howe's one remaining son, Nathaniel.

_Of course, she Conscripted Nathaniel too, right out of her own dungeons. I think once he realized she wasn't a depraved monster and that she was justified in her actions against his father, though, he half fell in love with her. Maker knows it was easy to do…_

_Alistair of the Grey is _still_ a _very _lucky man. _

Anders felt his heart grow heavy again. He should have known those happier days wouldn't last. When he'd fled the Wardens, it hadn't been Iryne's actions that caused it. Politics had finally caught up with her. The First Warden had sent one of his lieutenants to the Vigil, ostensibly to observe the way Iryne dealt with the politics of her position. Unfortunately, the Chantry had the bad timing to meddle as well; they practically forced a number of fairly extremist Templars down her throat as Warden Candidates. Iryne knew very well that the 'former' Templars were there to watch the Wardens' growing cadre of mages, but she hadn't counted on Stroud's arrogance. He conducted a Joining without her presence or knowledge. Iryne had been livid, and had sent Stroud packing, but it was already too late to keep the 'new' Wardens out. Anders, on the other hand, had felt a growing dread when three of the 'recruits' lacked the decency to die in the Joining.

He'd never told Iryne what he planned, and he hadn't wanted to. He knew what she'd say. She'd have tried to talk him out of it, and she might have been able to convince him. They had waited to merge until Iryne and Alistair had gone to attend Fergus' wedding.

_What would she possibly think of me now?_

The Weisshaupt Warden had been stirring discontent among 'his' recruits before he left, and the gossip was spreading like a cancer. How Iryne hadn't found this out was beyond Anders, but then, she'd had her hands full dealing with the Queen, her brother's marriage, the question of the Highever succession, and letting the First Warden know exactly how she felt about his 'observations'.

_They whispered that she was too soft, and so were most of 'her' Wardens. For Anders, the last straw had been the need to find Ser Pounce-a-Lot a new home for his own safety. The Templar-Wardens had been keeping too close an eye on the poor fellow. _

_Damn them anyway. Poor Ser Pounce-a-Lot. I hope Nathaniel's nephew is good to him. _

He'd gotten even angrier as he watched the Templar-Wardens crack down on any mage that had anything to do with the Wardens. They hounded his steps as well, and with Iryne distracted and Nathaniel dealing with a situation in the Marches, he no longer had an advocate or enough clout to do anything about it.

_Then I merged with Justice. And I-we committed atrocities I don't even remember. _

In blind panic, and horrified at the carnage, even if they were Templars, he'd fled. He decided to take the first ship north that he could beg, borrow, or steal his way onto. He also stole a sheaf of Free Marches maps in the hopes it would slow down any pursuers, or anyone crazy enough to come looking for him. It was only later that he'd found out about Karl.

In a roundabout way, he resumed his considerations about Hawke. Something about her made him think strongly of Iryne. Maybe it was the way she spoke and the natural, confident leadership she displayed. She used a similar fighting style, certainly, and moved with the same powerful, effortless grace. Even her face and features reminded him of the Warden Commander, although Hawke's coloration was completely different and she had those graceful tattoos on her face, where Iryne had none. Maybe it was the hairstyle.

_She also seems to be passionate enough about her convictions. It's the convictions themselves that end the similarities. How far would _Hawke _go to help a friend? Is she just out for gold or giggles, as an unforgettable minx I once met put it? _

A rational part of his mind shook its 'head' at that. The same woman who had confronted him about "telling me you're an abomination" had not hesitated to kill two Templars who got too close to her sister, or to guard her elven companion's back as if she'd been doing so all her life.

He wondered what the elf had done to gain that kind of support. His contemptuous green eyes and the sneer in his voice when he bothered to speak at all made his stance on mages clear. He might not have been at home with the Templars, but he certainly harbored a negative opinion he wasn't likely to change. When Anders had explained what happened with Justice, the elf seemed to diminish Anders' situation with his all-too-casual and sarcastic rejoinder.

"_Of course. No harm ever comes from good intentions, even when magic is involved." _

At the time, Anders had been in too much shock to rise to the bait. He _wished_ he could have formed a better response than to lamely step away from that statement.

_So, how can Hawke protect him when her sister is a mage, and when he undoubtedly views _her_ through the same narrow vision? _

Anders was rapidly discovering that he was too tired to make much sense. It didn't matter anyway. Hawke hadn't seemed interested in taking him on as a companion, and he was fairly certain he didn't want to be taken on if it meant being around…What had she called him? Fenris? He'd told Hawke she could find him in his clinic, so if she changed her mind, she knew where to find him.

_Why is a tiny part of me hoping she _does_ change her mind?_

It was the last conscious thought he had before sleep finally claimed him. His dreams, as usual, were haunted by Darkspawn, and the subtle, frightening whispers of something more intelligent and sinister.


	7. Chapter 7

_All characters and Dragon Age itself belong to Bioware. I'm just enjoying writing about them _

_As always, thanks, Arquen! _

_**Chapter 7**_

Aniya sighed inwardly as she slipped out of Gamlen's hovel. She waited for Sarge to trot out after her, and then closed the door quietly.

_I don't care what Bethany says…I still don't like this._

Still, she'd mused over what Bethany had to say about Anders. She was also concerned that Varric or even Bartrand might insist on bringing the former Grey Warden on the expedition, so she might not have much of a choice in getting to know Anders. Bringing him would make logical sense, but Aniya couldn't bring herself to agree with the idea. Not yet, anyway.

_I did tell her I'd talk to him, though. The things I do for you, Bethany…_

"Sarge, guard." At Aniya's calm command, her mabari lost his friendly demeanor. He didn't look mean, exactly, but he did look watchful and alert. She was glad of his presence; going into Darktown alone, even during the day, was dodgy business at best. The miasma of desperation ran thick there, and desperate people did desperate things sometimes.

She remembered the way to the clinic quite well. It actually wasn't that far from the tunnel that led to the cellars of the Amell estate.

"Sit, boy." Aniya gestured for Sarge to sit outside the clinic doors. There wasn't much sense in taking him in, and he could be counted on to warn her if something started to go wrong outside. She opened the door a little, and saw Anders talking with the family of the boy he'd healed the previous day. The boy himself seemed none the worse for wear, and was standing happily with his parents. When the boy's father tried to give a few coin to the mage, he shook his head and refused it, saying something about it being more important that the family use it on food. That gave Aniya pause.

_I definitely don't understand you. _

Aniya studied her fingernails while Anders explained a vial of elixir to them and sent them on their way. Then, she poked her head inside, scanned quickly for more patients, and then stepped the rest of the way into the clinic. She politely cleared her throat.

Anders turned to face her, his expression turning to surprise, and then vague suspicion when he realized who his visitor was.

"Hawke?"

Aniya sighed and stepped forward to face him.

"Yes. Do you have a moment? I didn't see any others in here waiting for you…" Aniya glanced around meaningfully. Surprisingly, the clinic was actually empty except for one sleeping patient on a cot in the corner. The Grey Warden regarded her curiously, and then nodded, giving her his full attention. Aniya took another step closer and lowered her voice slightly.

"I…first of all, I'm very sorry about your friend. Karl?" Anders's eyes widened slightly as he studied Aniya's face. She met his eyes calmly, letting him decide whether she was sincere or not. Whatever answer he sought, he apparently found it. He sighed, broke eye contact, and accepted her condolences with a nod.

"Thank you. Seeing him with that damned brand – " the mage closed his eyes and cleared his throat, "- was not what I was expecting, clearly. Had I known…" Anders's voice broke. Aniya looked away and gave him a moment before she continued.

"I also wanted to say something else. I had a long talk with my sister last night – " Anders frowned at her and started to say something, but she held up her hand. He paused and let her finish. "She convinced me that I may have been a little hasty in judging what happened with…Justice. As you can guess, she has a better sense for what happened than I do."

Anders regarded her curiously and blinked in surprise. Aniya took advantage of that to continue.

"I'll be completely honest; I'm still dubious of the wisdom of what happened with - Justice. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. However, I also think I may have taken things just a little too far, and for _that, _I want to apologize." Anders frowned as Hawke offered him her hand. He looked shocked.

"I…that...wasn't what I was expecting either." He considered a moment, and then extended his own hand and grasped her wrist. When he looked up and met Aniya's eyes, they were glittering with humor.

"Well, I guess we're even, then. Neither of us knows what to expect of the other," Hawke commented dryly and released his arm. Anders took a breath to say something, but then noticed a somewhat frantic looking teenage boy running toward the clinic from outside. The mage shook his head.

"Sorry, Hawke, I know him, and this means trouble. If you have anything else, it will have to wait." He grabbed his staff and regarded her anxiously, as if he was half-expecting a protest.

Hawke shook her head, waved him towards the door, and started that way herself.

"I said what I came to say, and now I'd say you're needed elsewhere. Thank you for your time, Anders."

Anders stopped and glanced back at her quickly, before he turned to speak to the panting teenager. Aniya took the opportunity to collect Sarge and depart.

She didn't have any particular location in mind. She had a few things she needed to do, not the least of which was to solve another puzzle she'd nearly forgotten. It had reminded her of itself pointedly that morning. She awakened with the amulet she'd been wearing since meeting Flemeth poking her sharply in the soft skin of her throat.

_And thus am I reminded that there is no rest for the wicked, or even the only slightly corrupted._

Her first thought had been to talk to Varric, but then, she had another idea. She hadn't followed up with Aveline on her 'side investigation' of the guard, and it really had been too long. Of course, there was no direct way from Darktown to Hightown. That wasn't a shock but it meant a bit of a walk. Aniya's stomach rumbled, reminding her that breakfast had been meager that morning.

_Ah well, might as well cut through Lowtown and grab something. At least there are a couple of venders with food that won't make you regret you bought it later._ One of them happened to be the baker whose wares Aniya had robbed over a year ago.

_Perfect._

As she walked the alley between Darktown and the Lowtown market, she became aware of a figure that had fallen in behind her. She stopped to fiddle with her belt, and used the reflection of a dusty window to inspect the figure behind her. She was relieved to see that she recognized him, both because she was beginning to truly trust him, and because she wouldn't have to knife someone in an alley.

_Of course, Fenris would take more effort than a simple knifing. Another reason to be glad I know him!_

"Fenris – I'm glad I recognized you, or you were about to get some practice dodging throwing knives." Aniya's wry grin took the sting out of the comment, or so she hoped.

"I would have identified myself once I recognized you. Unfortunately, you did not give me that chance. Probably a wise choice on your part." The elf returned her grin with a smirk, and Aniya relaxed. He didn't _seem_ offended, and his voice carried none of the controlled coldness it usually carried when he _was_. She decided to risk it, and let out a put-upon sigh.

"Now Fenris, how often have you seen me walk right into a dangerous mess and walk out just fine?"

"How many times did I have something to do with that?" Fenris responded, still smirking.

"Some, but not all. I'll concede the point, though." Aniya laughed. "So what brings you down here to Lowtown, anyway?"

"Actually, I was looking for you. I know you're almost always getting into trouble or scheming something." He paused, and then deadpanned, "And I had run out of choreography ideas."

Aniya laughed out loud despite herself at Fenris's reference to his teasing of Varric.

"I see. Well, your timing is perfect. I'm about to go see Aveline and try to stir up some trouble to get into. However, if I don't eat something soon, everyone in Lowtown will think a dragon is growling under the district."

"You mean there isn't one after all? I'm disappointed."

Aniya laughed again, and they were halfway to the baker's stall before she realized how easily she'd fallen into a friendly banter with the supposedly dark-mooded elf.

* * *

><p>Bethany hesitated at the entrance to Anders's clinic in Lowtown. When she'd awoken, she'd been full of enthusiasm about coming to talk to the Grey Warden. Now, though, as she peeked in the door and watched him work, she was both excited and nervous.<p>

She believed, at least for the most part, Anders's story about the spirit of Justice, but she doubted the wisdom of what he'd done. On the other hand, the mage obviously had a generous heart somewhere if he was healing all comers with no thought of reward, and if he really was so willing to endanger himself to help a friend.

She respected him in spite of his dubious wisdom. She was also growing very tired of not feeling like she was able to help other refugees in Kirkwall. Anders was doing what she had feared to do, and the temptation to join him was strong.

_Of course, I'll have to convince him, but if I didn't think I could, I wouldn't be here. Aniya will think I've gone mad. Perhaps I have, but I can't just live in fear of my own shadow for the rest of my life. I have to stop that, otherwise, I'm not living at all._

Another thought occurred to her. It hardened her resolve.

_It's not like I haven't doubted Aniya's sanity a time or two since we got here. Besides, one of these days I will have to be my own person. I might as well start now, doing something I believe in. I don't need Aniya's permission or approval of everything I do. _

Bethany squared her shoulders and straightened her posture. As she got ready to open the door, she heard fearful cries coming from inside the clinic. Abandoning caution, she stepped inside.

Apparently, a couple of the woman's family members had brought her here. She was writhing in pain, and Anders was struggling mightily in his attempt to both calm her and examine the problem.

_Maker, he can't do that alone. He'll kill himself trying!_

Bethany strode forward confidently, and stepped up to the cot, across from Anders. She gently extended her hands and reached out to the patient. She _willed_ herself into the calm focus she needed to work healing magic. Her magic allowed her to assess the woman in ways her ordinary eyes didn't. The patient was blazing with fever and an advanced infection. It had spread throughout most of her body, overwhelming both her ability to breathe and her inborn ability to fight it off. As exhausted as Anders already had been, he barely had the strength to deal with the fever, never mind helping her breathe or attack the infection.

_Right. Need to help her breathe – that will kill her before anything else will._

As Bethany reached out with a cleansing spell, Anders's head snapped up abruptly. His eyes flashed blue for the briefest of moments before clearing back to their regular color. He stared at her, aghast.

"Admit it, you need the help." Bethany murmured, her eyes closed. "What do you want me to focus on? It will take both of us to do this."

* * *

><p><em>What?<em>

Anders had been shocked to find another mage's spell working on _his_ patient. When he'd glanced up, he'd gotten an even bigger surprise.

_That's the other Hawke sister. Bethany._

Bethany was the last person he expected to see here, but in his current state, neither he nor his patient could afford to turn aside aid willingly given.

"Keep her breathing and see if you can bring that fever down a little. We don't want to get rid of it altogether yet, but it can't stay that high without harming her."

A detached part of Anders's mind noticed that, as the other mage shifted her focus, she had a certain _skill_ with healing that was beyond good training. She certainly had that, too, but…this was a talent with her. Her talent in magic was similar to his.

_She's another healer- a damn good one._

Anders turned his attention back to his young charge's infection and began to contain it. Now that he was free to focus on it, he'd be damned if he was going to let it win.

* * *

><p>A while later, both Bethany and Anders stepped back from the cot. Bethany had allowed the fever to break once Anders had beaten the rampant infection into submission, and their patient was now resting comfortably in a deep sleep that Bethany had placed on her. Anders sagged suddenly against the wall, and Bethany stepped forward and eased him to a sitting position. Anders shook his head at her, so she turned back to the family.<p>

"She will still need some rest. We will help her be comfortable and keep an eye on her for you. Go get some rest yourselves, and let the sleep do its work." Bethany smiled at them, hoping for all the world she'd picked up some of Aniya's ability to smile winningly at complete strangers.

Anders glanced up tiredly as she spoke, and Bethany saw surprise on his face before he closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall.

"Please excuse me," Bethany said, and without further preamble, whirled on Anders.

"Just exactly how long have you been healing this drained, man?" she hissed at him. She reached out to pick up his staff so he could carefully get to his feet. When he turned to walk _away_ from the nearest cot, Bethany shook her head emphatically.

"Oh, no you don't. You're about to drop yourself, and if you kill yourself from exhaustion, you can't help _anyone_."

She felt the resistance in Anders' body relax. He leaned on her wearily.

"Not…here. Upstairs. Can't let them see me like this." Anders murmured.

"Can you make it that far?" Bethany gave him a dubious look.

"With your help, I can. I've survived worse." The mage found the courage to chuckle.

Bethany helped Anders climb the narrow stairs to the alcove above the clinic and promptly eased him into his bed. At that moment, the clinic door opened again, and they both heard a voice calling for help. Anders started to get up.

"I said _no._ Don't _make_ me knock you out too. _I'll _handle it." Bethany pushed him back down and glared at him a moment before racing back down the stairs.

* * *

><p>A couple of candlemarks later, Bethany quietly poked her head into the alcove. Anders was soundly asleep. His face wore an expression of faint fear and loathing. He moaned softly and shifted in his sleep, his expression turning solely to fear.<p>

_What was it he said? Forever haunted by dreams of the Archdemon? No wonder he's so worn out. He can't rest even when he _does_ sleep._

Bethany shook her head in disbelief. The man was more courageous than she'd given him credit for, and her heart went out to him.

_I think Aniya is right, and we don't know everything about you. Still, I'll bet good coin you have a heart of gold in there somewhere._

Bethany wandered back down the stairs and rooted around in the clinic until she'd assembled a small meal of hard cheese, fresh bread, and a slightly shriveled apple. She also found a skin of short ale, and added it to the meal as well.

_Looks like the families of those he's helped won't let him starve, at least. That's good. I just wish I'd thought of this _before_ I hauled him upstairs._ It spoke volumes more that Anders had fallen asleep so soundly in the amount of time she'd been gone. Maybe he hadn't missed food then, but he'd definitely want it when he woke.

She took it back upstairs and gently set it out where he'd see it when he woke. Then, she pulled a blanket from a hook on the wall and gently laid it over the sleeping mage.

_Sleep as well as you can, Anders. Maker knows you've earned it._

She wandered back downstairs to watch his clinic as he slept.


	8. Chapter 8

_**All characters belong to Bioware. **__I just borrow them and write about them. Thanks as always to Arquen for her critiques and edits, and to the BSN Fenris thread for helping me break my writer's block (especially SiaLater, Arquen, and Arcane_Solana.)_

_**Chapter 8**_

"Actually, Hawke, your timing couldn't be better. I was going to come looking for you." Aveline had been very happy to see Hawke and Fenris, more so than Aniya had expected. When she heard why, the reason was obvious. The whole situation stunk of a set-up; all three of them agreed.

"It's not my jurisdiction, but I can't let this happen. Someone will be walking right into a trap if my information's good, and it usually is." Aveline paced restlessly. "I also think we should consider taking your sister. This sounds like a potentially big ambush, so we may want another pair of capable hands with us, too."

"When does the patrol start again, Aveline?" Aniya asked, interrupting that unspoken communication.

"It'll be due to start about four candlemarks – which doesn't give us much time. I want to get up there a bit ahead so no one walks into it unexpectedly." Aniya nodded.

"I agree – and I think that's a risk. I'm not sure where Bethany went this morning, but I can almost always find Varric…" Hawke shrugged. She liked the dwarf, even if Aveline didn't quite trust him.

"Don't take too long," Aveline worried aloud, "because we'll need a good hour to get out to the site. The roads there are fairly rough."

"I won't. We'll be back here in two candlemarks if not before."

Aveline glanced at Fenris.

"Are you going, too?" She asked. He nodded.

"If you want to be well-prepared, then I am more than capable of assisting." The elf met Aveline's gaze squarely.

"Good – because you're right. I want to go in with the odds on our side, and I've seen you fight." Aveline said respectfully.

Aniya nodded, turned, and jogged out. Fenris glanced after her, and then followed. Aveline went to her bunk to get her weapons and shield in order. She ran her hand reflexively over the battered Sword of Mercy as she always did before she took this last talisman of Wesley with her.

* * *

><p>Aveline's reverse ambush went off surprisingly smoothly. The bandits were well-armed, but the small party dealt with them easily enough. An unsuspecting patrol may have had significant problems with them. Unfortunately, things got more complicated when they got back to the barracks. Aveline's Guard Captain, Jeven, was far from being pleased at her initiative. He had completely berated Aveline and threatened to jail the lot of them. Aveline came out looking like a storm cloud. If a somewhat abashed storm cloud. Aniya happened to meet the Guard Captain's eye before the door slammed, and he glared at her with equal hostility. Sarge sensed her anger and growled.<p>

_You're __**connected**__with this!_ She saw Fenris's eyes narrow slightly as well. Varric just glanced at both of them with a look that said_ how could you two not have seen that_? and shook his head. Then Aniya heard Aveline mutter her own two coppers.

"Threaten my friends? I'm not letting that one go, Captain." She almost, but didn't quite, suppress the disrespect she placed on the title. Aniya heard what Aveline _didn't_ say aloud loud and clear.

"Maker, what _have_ I stepped in this time?" Aveline muttered, half to herself. Aniya cleared her throat.

"Let's find out whose toes you actually stepped on. That may tell us something."

They were shocked to find out that the guardswoman assigned to that patrol was supposed to have been alone. That surely would have gone badly, and Guardswoman Brennan knew it. She happened to let slip that the satchel had been unusually heavy the last time she'd carried it, and that the guardsman delivering it tonight would similarly be alone. Aveline turned to check the roster.

"Donnic. Donnic. A good man. We need to be there tonight, Hawke. I won't let another guardsman walk into a trap like that, and the Captain can mount it."

Aniya and Fenris both nodded. Aveline looked relieved. Aniya was willing to bet good coin that she and Aveline had the same thought.

_If we're lucky, we'll find something that ties that asshole to all of this, too._

"Let's meet outside the Hanged Man at sundown, then. We can start keeping an eye out a little early, because his patrol isn't due for at least a candlemark after sunset."

It was a good thing they met when they did; they could already hear a scuffle getting started within minutes, and it was echoing from a street where Donnic should have been. Aveline heard it first and took off, shouting a battle cry when she rounded the corner.

"Shit! I hate it when she does that!" Aniya cursed as Varric pulled Bianca off of his back and scrambled to find a vantage. She and Fenris hustled to back Aveline up, but before they could get very far, they intercepted a second wave of ambushers who apparently heard the same scuffle they did. Like the bandits, these men and women were well equipped and knew exactly where they were supposed to be. Aniya couldn't resist smirking, however, when Fenris cut the first down effortlessly. The others hesitated, sizing the two of them up, and another was dropped by a beautiful shot from Bianca. Clearly they hadn't noticed Varric.

Aniya smoothly drew her paired dueling blades and flashed a smile.

"What's the matter?" she taunted. "Were you expecting an easy mark, working alone perhaps?"

She parried the incoming swing form the bandit closest to her. She feinted with her off hand. When he took the feint, she thrust her main-hand blade through a space in his armor where arm and chest met. Blood gushed from the wound; she'd gotten the great artery that fed his arm. She felt him weaken almost immediately and let him drop.

_That's one…_

She started to intercept a second, but Fenris and Varric had the situation in hand. That was a good thing; she heard a masculine cry of pain from behind them where Aveline had gone.

_Damn it! _

"I'm going to help Aveline," Aniya shouted to Fenris, and bolted down the alleyway. An arrow narrowly missed her and bounced off the brick wall, but a cry of pain from behind her told that either Varric or Fenris had solved _that_ problem.

Aniya's heart sank when she rounded the corner. Aveline was still up and fighting, but there was a guardsman down at her feet and she was sorely outnumbered. The only things currently between her and disaster were Ser Wesley's shield and the wall at her back.

_And me, now, _Aniya thought as she broke into a silent dash.

She pounced on the nearest assailant and plunged both blades into his back, twisting them to inflict more damage. She then pulled them from his flesh and gracefully pivoted to face his companion, who was raising a small crossbow. Something green and noxious was dripping from the drawn bolt.

_Oh, no you don't._

Aniya slashed at the arm supporting the crossbow. She didn't get through the armor but she did force the archer's arm off target. The poisoned bolt bounced harmlessly off the cobblestones beneath them. While her opponent stood gaping from the shock of the sudden and very close attack, Aniya followed up with a stab directly to the throat. When her blade sank in, she pulled it sideways and ducked from the opened artery. She pushed her beaten opponent aside and reassessed the situation.

Fenris and Varric had arrived and the odds were now in Aveline's favor, as most of their opposition was either wounded or dead. When they finished off the remainder, all of them turned to the body of the leader. Aveline had killed him only steps from the fallen Donnic, who was now recovering consciousness as Aveline reached him. She carefully helped him to his feet, but he was still a bit wobbly.

"…Aveline?" Aniya heard him say dazedly as he focused on the Guardswoman's face, "You are a beautiful sight."

As she tried not to gape, she got another surprise, both amusing and endearing at the same time.

Aveline smiled at him with unexpected softness (_softness? From __**Aveline?**__)_ and acknowledged the compliment. "Guardsman…"

_Well, well. This could get interesting!_ Aniya smiled to herself and pretended to ignore them by rifling through the satchel that had caused this entire mess.

_Do surprises really run in threes?_ Aniya blinked with pleasure and pointed out some very damning evidence in the papers she pointed out to Aveline. Jeven was finished if these papers went into the right hands. Aveline didn't disappoint.

"This goes to the Viscount himself, Hawke. This may make the Guard look weak, but it's better than the disgrace that's happening now." Aveline anticipated Aniya's unasked question, and Aniya remembered why she'd found herself moving beyond respect and towards friendship with the Guardswoman.

Aveline turned back toward Donnic.

"Will you be able to complete your patrol, Guardsman?" Aveline asked, eyeing him with concern.

Donnic chuckled. "I think so, as long as the rest stays unexciting." He smiled at Aveline.

_Yep…this will definitely get interesting. I'll bet my blades on it._ Aniya glanced to the side and smirked at Varric and Fenris. Varric looked vastly amused and his eyes had taken on a certain mischievous twinkle.

_Uh oh. That usually means trouble for someone…_

Fenris's face gave no real clues on his thoughts until he caught Hawke's glance. Then, he simply shrugged and shook his head.

* * *

><p>When they made their way back to the Viscount's keep, Aveline held out her hand for the satchel. Aniya presented it to her with a slight bow and a grin.<p>

"Go get him, Aveline."

Aveline peered at her, but didn't comment on her attitude. She then turned and went straight to the Viscount's office. Aniya's eyebrows climbed in surprise when the Seneschal took one look at the papers and opened the Viscount's office door. Fenris voiced what she was feeling.

"I hope they wait to arrest him until Aveline can see it. I think she might want to."

Fenris hadn't known Aveline as long as Aniya had, but he was definitely correct on that score. Aniya nodded.

"Gentlemen, I think this show may be worth witnessing. Let's just wait here. With all the people waiting to speak to the Viscount, I hardly expect we'll be noticed." The sarcasm was thick; the trio of armed non-guards in the main hall was generating stares and whispers. Aniya simply returned them with a charming smile and nod. Fenris looked a little self-conscious, but Varric was lapping it up.

Aniya couldn't have been more correct. Jeven put up noisy resistance as he was dragged straight from the office to the very jail he'd threatened to use on Aveline and Aniya. The four of them and the Seneschal (surprisingly) looked on with satisfaction. Just when Aniya figured the show was over, the day proved to have one last major surprise. The Seneschal informed Aveline that her initiative had the opposite effect on the Viscount as it had on Jeven, and that _she_ would be assuming Jeven's former office. Aveline stood in stunned silence as the Seneschal departed after advising Aveline to clear her schedule in preparation to be _very _busy as Guard Captain.

After Seneschal Bran left, Aveline just stood and stared at the huge Guard Captain's desk. Aniya glanced at Varric and Fenris and inclined her head toward the door. She mouthed "see you at the Hanged Man later" to both of them, knowing full well Varric could read lips. Both departed, Varric more reluctantly.

As Aniya left the keep and made her way back toward Lowtown, she thought about the implications of Aveline's new post. They had discussed it briefly, and Aveline was very pleased with the idea. She was looking forward to it, but it did mean she wouldn't be joining the expedition. Aniya completely understood; she'd have wondered how well she knew Aveline had the presumptive Guard Captain said anything else.

The conversation turned to Ser Wesley. Aniya was surprised it had taken this long for the late Templar to come up in conversation. She was also surprised to feel herself admiring the man that Aveline had loved so sincerely. It was the first time that Aniya could think of actually admiring a Templar as a man of conviction, rather than wanting to dislike him because of his vocation. When she left, she had a lot to think about.

Her mind inevitably wandered to Bethany. Aniya wanted to find Bethany to invite her to the Hanged Man for a celebratory round. She also knew that in spite of their first meeting, Bethany genuinely liked Aveline. When she stopped by Gamlen's hovel, her mother was there, but Bethany wasn't. Aniya felt a flicker of concern as Sarge rushed past her to bow playfully in front of Leandra like he always did.

"Hello, Mother. Have you seen Bethany lately?"

Leandra's brow furrowed.

"I have. I don't know if she's going to be home tonight."

"Is something wrong? Do I need to go…" Aniya felt fear and dread seize her heart.

"No, Aniya, it's not the Templars." Leandra still looked worried, though.

"What are you not telling me, Mother?" Aniya sank to the other unoccupied chair, and Sarge nudged her hand and whined. She absently scratched the mabari's head as she waited for Leandra's answer. It took her mother a moment to collect her thoughts, and Aniya stewed in her own worries while she did so.

"She stopped by earlier today, and grabbed her staff and a bag of herbs she'd collected or traded for at Lirene's. She said there was a family whose mother was about to have another baby, and that it could go badly. She wanted to help, and couldn't be persuaded otherwise." Leandra looked significantly at Aniya, whose face had gone pale.

"She's going to get herself captured or – " The fear, admiration, and love in Leandra's eyes broke Aniya's heart as her mother cut her off.

"It's a risk_ she's_ willing to take, Aniya. Not that I don't share your concern, _believe me,_" Leandra's eyes bored into her eldest daughter's, "but it's getting to the point where she will have to be her own person, just as you are. She sees you doing what you can and being able to do so openly, and I think she envies you. She's very tired of just doing trivial tasks to try to help people. She may be conflicted about being a mage, but she also is very aware that she has the potential to do some good with her talent." Leandra looked down, and a tear flowed down her face.

"Your father felt the same way. He made me swear that I would accept Beth's decisions about her magic when she reached this point. It's very important to her, Aniya. She wants to feel like she's making a difference somehow. It's important enough that I think the best thing I can do is hold my tongue."

Aniya got up, knelt before Leandra, and pulled her mother close. She tried to ignore the small block of ice that had formed in her own gut. She knew it wasn't just Bethany that her mother was thinking of at that moment. She closed her eyes against the unexpected sting of tears as she thought of Carver…

_Maker, Beth, I hope you know what you're doing for **all** our sakes._


	9. Chapter 9

_**All characters belong to Bioware. **__I just borrow them and write about them. Thanks as always to Arquen for her critiques and edits! _

_**Note: **__the scene at Fenris's mansion was previously published to the BSN as a Fenris thread prompt fill. I liked it, so I modified it to fit into the full fic._

_**Chapter 9**_

What had started out as a celebratory occasion was soured for Aniya that night. She tried not to show it, and was able to put up a humorous and cheerful toast, but her heart just wasn't in the Hanged Man. She ended up leaving early, drawing concerned looks from both Varric and Fenris, but she simply waved off their looks and pleaded a long day.

Bethany still hadn't returned by the time Aniya got home. That night, when she lay on her bed in the room she shared with Bethany, it seemed very empty. It was a very strange feeling, and Aniya had trouble getting to sleep. She stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts wander.

She had nearly turned around and headed right back out when her mother explained Bethany's absence, but Leandra had talked her out of it when she tried. Reflecting on her mother's words was not easing her mind into sleep, either. Instead, it made her think of Carver. At the thought of him, she felt the sting of tears in her eyes again.

_All he wanted was to be seen as Carver Hawke. Not the invisible twin to the mage, not Aniya's little brother, just Carver. I could see it when he was in the Army. It was the only time I think he was really happy._

That drove her over the edge. She rolled over, buried her face in her pillow, and sobbed. These were the first real tears she'd allowed herself to shed over her brother, and they'd built up over time. She wasn't sure how long it had been when she regained some sense of calm. However, her next thought returned her old anxiety to the fore.

_Come to think of it, though, is Bethany really any different? She's been miserable since we got back here from the Red Iron. There, her mage talents were valued. She got to be appreciated for Bethany, and no one there was going to hand her over to the Templars for what she did._

_And then we came back here, and she lost all of that. She wanted to _DO_ something, and she couldn't. I guess I can't blame her for getting sick of it. Still, if she gets caught…_Aniya shuddered and pulled the blankets tight around her. She rolled over, wrestling with anger at and pride for her sister.

Then, she had an idea. It was a vaguely disturbing one, but it was an idea.

_The Ferelden circle did a great deal to help stop the Blight, if I heard correctly. This was in spite of an internal uprising by an abomination that the Warden helped to stop. What was that enchanter's name - the Warden's healer - Wynne? Wasn't she the mage who saved Lady Cousland's life multiple times during the Blight? She was a Circle mage._

_What if the Circle isn't all as bad as we've assumed? Father did speak positively of his training, and no one doubts that Enchanter Wynne has earned her place as both a heroine and an advisor to Queen Anora._

_Still, Father had his reasons for leaving and living on the run from it. I suppose I can't really know what life as a mage really is. _

_I'm sorry, Father, but I thank the Maker every day I'm not one._

Aniya spent the rest of the night in conflicted turmoil and barely slept at all. The morning didn't bring any clearer answers. In fact, it brought a memory of something else she needed to handle. As if she didn't have _enough _things to worry about.

_Flemeth. Damn it. That's something I need to deal with sooner rather than later._

* * *

><p>Bethany finally came back just as Aniya gave up on sleep, around false dawn. The dark-haired woman looked exhausted and worn. Aniya rushed to her.<p>

"Bethany, are you all right?" she whispered urgently. "What happened?"

"Relax, Aniya, I'm fine." Bethany's voice was a tad rough as well. "As to what happened, well, let's just say I found another way to help the refugees here, and it's about damn time I stopped being such a coward. No – " she held up her hand as Aniya tried to question her further, "I don't want to talk about it until I've gotten some rest and can think clearly again." She smiled sleepily, grabbing an apple off of Gamlen's writing desk, "Can you give me that long?"

"Fair enough." Aniya reluctantly nodded, though Bethany had done nothing to ease her anxiety.

"Just one thing, Beth – " Aniya commented before Bethany closed the door, " – we really need to get a certain _errand _completed soon. Our _benefactor_ may be getting restless at the delay."

Bethany nodded tiredly and replied, "When did you want to try that?"

"Ideally, I want to go at the week's end – there will be more merchant traffic to blend into until we take the turn to Sundermount."

Bethany nodded tiredly and shut the door. Aniya worked off some of her anxiety by showing up at the barracks and practically dragging Aveline from her bunk for a sparring match. Aveline had said she liked not having to hold back when sparring with her because of her own considerable skill. As far as sparing partners went, they were very well matched, and when Aniya left, she was slightly battered and completely exhausted.

The next two days passed in a blur for Aniya as she located maps, assistance, and supplies for the trip to Sundermount. It shouldn't take much, but her army days had taught her the value of slightly over-preparing for something. She also persuaded Varric and Fenris to join them.

It had been fairly late when she stopped by Fenris's mansion, and he'd had a surprise for her. He'd discovered two bottles of another Tevinter vintage tucked in the back of the wine cellar. It wasn't _Aggregio, _but it was still very good. When she'd asked about it, Fenris deadpanned that Danarius wanted both his wine cellar and his displays of power to be superior to all others. Despite that comment, the elf was in a fairly contented mood for once, and was surprisingly welcoming. The visit became far more social than Aniya had intended.

"You have no idea how glad I am to find someone who at least accepts that I don't really like ale, Fenris." Aniya grinned at him over the rim of one of the glasses she'd brought in not too long ago. "It spares me a lot of questions, mutters, and stares."

"Is there some particular reason you don't like it?" He regarded her curiously, and then cleared his throat. "Of course, you are not obligated to give any explanation if you so choose. "

Aniya rolled her eyes at him in mock disgust. "_Fine_. Just this _once_." She laughed and considered for a moment. "You do realize this is one of the more embarrassing stories of my life, right?"

"If you'd rather not – "

"It's all right," she laughed. "We were all young and foolish once. Well, maybe _you_ don't recall being foolish, but the rest of us were." She winked. "Let's put it this way. When you have a camp full of army recruits fresh out of fairly restrictive homes, away from their parents' watchful eyes for the first time, and around prodigious quantities of ale, some things are bound to happen."

"I see."

"Yes. Let's say that my first time completely overdoing it with ale, engaging in some horrible decision making that I only _just_ remember, and paying for it with the worst hangover I've had to this day taught me a few things. Not the least of which is I _hate_ the taste of ale." She laughed, but she wasn't able to keep some regret and self-reproach out of her voice.

"So that explains your low bar tab at the Hanged Man? The one Varric seems to mention constantly?" He asked.

"Something like that. The very taste of ale makes me want to retch, their whiskey is undrinkable unless the _point_ is to get drunk, and that leaves the mead, the cider, or nothing. I also know, to my chagrin, that I get stupid when I drink, so I don't make a habit of it except around people I trust. That pretty much limits me to a mug of mead or two a night, if that." Aniya finished the glass she had and poured herself a couple fingers' worth more. She got a distant look and didn't continue. Fenris frowned at her.

* * *

><p>"So I assume that this <em>stupid<em> state, as you put it, was an unintended side effect?" He asked.

From all the times she'd just listened to him go on about his life as a slave, he figured he owed her that much. He was also more curious than he really should have been.

* * *

><p><em>Maker. Now you've done it, Aniya. Lack of sleep and too much wine are catching up with you.<em>

"If you're really interested in the sordid details of my foolishness." She sighed.

"You said yesterday that our choices make us who we are, Hawke. You seem to have done well enough despite any past decisions of yours. Perhaps it taught you something?"

Aniya blinked at him.

"Oh,_ fine_, use my own logic against me, O wise one. You win." She smiled, not her usual dry grin but more of a bemused surrender of the point. She settled more comfortably into her seat.

"I got extremely drunk, just like everyone else, when we were celebrating the end of basic training. This was a gathering of very drunk youngsters more than ready to do whatever their bodies were telling them to do with whomever they wanted to do it with. I did that too, with someone I never would have _remotely_ considered while sober." Aniya shuddered. " That decision was a bad one. He was a complete ass and an ugly brute, but he looked great when viewed through ale-colored eyes. I was just lucky nothing ah… came of it. It did teach me the importance of not making any major decisions when you are so drunk you can barely walk. Actually not liking ale is just a side effect. The taste of it reminds me of that night, which I'd rather forget."

"I suppose there are worse things that could have come of that than a lifelong distaste for ale." Fenris commented. Aniya felt a brief surge of anger, even though she knew the former slave was right.

"Maybe not to you, but when it's your first time, and you're taught all your life that that's a Big Deal, it sure _seems _like it. Not only that, but it took a long time before I was willing to even _consider_ the idea again. At least then, it was with someone I truly cared about, and _that_ made all the difference. It also made me very picky about …ah." She cleared her throat and blushed furiously.

"Aaaaand now I've told you far more than you wanted to know."

As Fenris considered what to say, Aniya thought she saw something in those green eyes that might have been a flash of interest that went beyond simple curiosity.

_Or I could be imagining it, although I can't say I'd object!_ She surprised herself with her own visceral reaction to that idea. _Stop it, Aniya, or you're going to have to add wine to the 'bad' list. _

"It seems to me that you at least learned something from your mistake." Fenris commented. It sounded like a simple statement of fact. It wasn't what she expected at all, and it made her laugh. When he looked at her in confusion, she elaborated.

"Well, that was diplomatic. I was expecting 'Hawke, you **are** an idiot.' It's what I said to myself, anyway." She continued to chuckle, taking any sting out of the comment.

Fenris took a sip from his own glass, studying her as he did so.

"You may be many things, Hawke, but despite your tendency to charge into danger, an idiot is the last thing I would call you."

"Well, at least I'm not the one springing the traps, at least not usually." Aniya continued to smile at him, praying that he didn't notice the slight blush she felt sting her cheeks, or that Fenris would chalk it up to the wine. Fenris's compliment warmed her more than she was comfortable acknowledging.

_All right, I need to go. I'm not sixteen anymore and this is getting silly._ She stood, but Fenris didn't.

"Thank you for the wine and the company, Fenris. And thanks for not judging me the way most people seem to do these days. It's nice to just be able talk to you like this."

"Like what?" Fenris gave her an unreadable look. Suddenly, Aniya was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected the response she got. It had been carefully neutral.

"I just…" Her usually ready wits abruptly failed her, and she shrugged. "…well, it's nice to have someone who is at least willing to listen."

_And someone that at least cares enough to,_ she thought. Before she could say it, though, she took another look at Fenris. He wasn't looking at her any longer; he was gazing into the fire. She rubbed her eyes, suddenly very tired.

_Or I could be mistaken, and he thinks I'm just whining._ She sighed inwardly. _Maybe he's right._

"Good night, Fenris." Aniya ventured it mostly because she didn't want to be rude, but she suddenly regretted even staying for the wine.

"Good night, Hawke." Fenris sounded distracted, perhaps lost in thought.


End file.
